


Force Bond 3: Son

by kittandchips



Series: Force Bond [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Lightsabers, Parent Darth Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-22
Updated: 2002-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:30:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 133,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittandchips/pseuds/kittandchips
Summary: Third in the series of an AU where Luke is raised by Vader on Coruscant. Luke is getting older and struggling to come to terms with what awaits in the future.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Series: Force Bond [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722820
Comments: 134
Kudos: 177





	1. An Emerging Future

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU, the third of a four part series with Vader and Luke as the two central characters. It is a sequel to Force Bond 2, but it can be read as a story complete unto itself. I've made some updates to this fic to align with changes in the Star Wars universe since this was originally written.

Captain Piett paced the length of the conference room, mentally repeating his carefully articulated report. It was a spacious, comfortable room, and Piett would have been relaxed, if it wasn't for the fact that he was in the depths of the rancor's den itself: the Imperial Palace. An aide had politely informed him that Lord Vader would be with him shortly, and then abandoned him. Now, he had to _wait_.

He rubbed his temples, reminding himself of the rumors suggesting Lord Vader had mellowed out in recent years. Although, in a Sith Lord's case, 'mellowed out' meant killing nine a week instead of ten, they still sounded ridiculous, even to his eager-to-believe ears.

His ship, the SD _Indestructible_ , had just returned from an extended patrol assignment in the Outer Rim, so mercifully his recent contact with Lord Vader had been non-existent, but his brutal reputation permeated throughout the ranks of the Imperial navy. Piett couldn't even begin to imagine what could crack the Dark Lord's tough armored shell—

The doors to the conference room hissed open, and Piett straightened in anticipation. However, it wasn't the tall black form of Lord Vader that entered. Instead, it was a short, blonde-haired, unassuming teenager. He was dressed in mechanics coveralls, and a varied array of tools hung off his belt. He looked at Piett in surprise, as though Piett was the one who was out of place.

"Hello," he said, looking the captain up and down. "I guess you're waiting for my father."

Piett didn't know what to think, never mind say. He blinked at the boy in surprise, who stared right back with bright blue eyes.

"You're a Captain, right?" the boy asked, peering at his uniform. "I'm trying to learn the rank bars, but I keep getting confused. People seem to wear the wrong one sometimes."

Piett found his voice. "Yes, I'm Captain Piett. Pleased to meet you, uh ... ?"

"I'm Luke Skywalker," the boy said. "I'm trying to find a hydrospanner, which just keeps losing itself! This is the last place I'm checking, then I give up. Seen it?"

Piett took a quick glance around; the room looked spotless to him. He shook his head. "Sorry I can't be of service."

Luke started to pull out the chairs noisily and crawl underneath. Piett watched him curiously.

"So you are Lord Vader's son?"

Luke's reply came from under the table. "Yes—unfortunately!" He stood up, and grinned at Piett, showing he didn't really mean the 'unfortunately' part.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, his smile fading.

Piett realized he was staring. "No, no. I just wasn't aware Lord Vader had any children."

Luke shrugged and scanned the room once more. "Well—I guess it's not here." He frowned in frustration. "Too bad, that's the fourth one lost this week. We're running out."

He started walking briskly towards the exit, but just before he reached the doors, they slid open and Lord Vader entered with the same determined stride. They smacked headlong into each other. Piett struggled not to smile.

"Ah! Whoops!" Luke said. He stepped back, grinning up at Vader. "Hi!"

Lord Vader gave Piett an appraising glance, and then turned back to Luke. " _Son,_ " he said, conveying the question 'what are you doing in here?' within the word.

"I've nearly got the shuttle fixed," Luke said, "but I can't find the good hydrospanner—"

"You managed to locate the block in the cooling mechanism, then?" Vader asked.

"Yes, that was the easy part. It was in the upper left coil, it just took a bit of testing ..."

Piett watched them, disbelievingly, as they continued their casual conversation. He'd never seen anyone address Lord Vader with such familiarity ... he never imagined it would be possible to do so. Was he allowed to be witnessing this?

A sudden glint of metal on the floor caught his eye. There, by his boot, was the missing hydrospanner. He bent down, picking it up and placing it on the table. Both father and son turned from their discussion, attention caught by the movement.

"You found it!" Luke said, jubilant.

It was a simple movement. Luke took a step forward, stretching out his hand, perhaps to reach across the table to retrieve the spanner, or perhaps just to step closer so Piett could hand it to him. Which of the two it was, Piett would never find out. As Luke made the movement, the spanner came flying off the table, turning end over end through the three-meter distance between them, and ending up in the palm of Luke's outstretched hand.

Luke's face turned ashen. He stared at the spanner as though it was a deadly slug that had latched onto his skin.

"W-what?" he said, half to himself.

With a clatter, the spanner fell from his hand, and Luke rushed from the room.

Piett swallowed and glanced at Lord Vader. The dark lord was staring at the doors, looking as thoughtful as someone wearing a mask could look.

Abruptly, he turned, all business. "Your report, Captain?"

Piett obliged, despite the fact he couldn't keep his eyes off the spanner, resting unassuming on the tabletop.

* * *

After dismissing the captain, Vader remained in the conference room, idly tapping the hydrospanner against the glossy table surface. This was a delicate situation. If the Emperor became aware of this, he would assume his thus far loyal apprentice had been secretly training his son in a bid to overthrow his master. Luke's life could be at risk.

However, as luck would have it, the Emperor was not on Coruscant. As their founding project neared its final stages of completion, his master had departed on a personal tour of inspection. It would seem his timing couldn't have been better.

Vader turned and walked quickly towards the exit. He needed to seek Luke out and reassure him. His distress was clear over their empathic link, and was far out of proportion to the nature of this incident. This was serious, it was true, but hardly the end of the galaxy. It was typically adolescent of his son to overreact to such a degree.

His sense of Luke's presence led him to the balcony near their private rooms. Luke's hands were draped over the edge, and his shoulders were slumped.

For a moment, Vader hesitated in the doorway, idly thinking that Luke almost looked like a full-grown man. The idea disturbed him, and he pushed the thought away. It was true that he didn't need to look down so far to address his son, but the boy was still just that—a boy. It was only the fading light that caused him to look like anything else.

"Luke."

No response. Vader moved forward until he was standing beside him. It was a fine afternoon, and the sun was glinting off the corners of Coruscant's impossibly crowded skyline. Despite the distant buzz of traffic, it was almost peaceful.

Suddenly, Luke turned to him, a pleading expression on his face. "It won't happen again, I promise. I'm sorry ... I ... I don't know what happened in there—"

"There is no need to apologize," Vader interrupted.

"But ... but what about the Emperor, what if he—?"

"The Emperor is not here."

"But what if he finds out?" Luke said, his voice shaking slightly.

"That is not your concern," Vader said, quietly. "I will deal with the Emperor."

Luke was silent, but Vader felt him become calmer. Still, some vestiges of fear remained. Vader probed his mind gently, seeking the cause. Luke's fears weren't connected to the Emperor, despite his words. Instead, they centered around a violent image ... a faceless person impaled with a lightsaber. This began to morph back into Luke's memory of the spanner in his hand.

"Your Force potential frightens you," Vader observed.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Luke sighed.

"It is better that you discuss these feelings, rather than conceal them."

"People are already scared of me for having you as a father," Luke explained. "Having strange powers ... that would really make me a freak."

"A _freak_ ," Vader repeated, turning his masked gaze on his son. "I see."

"Ah, no offense," Luke said, quickly.

Vader was silent, somewhat amused.

"It's not only that. I worry about what I would do with these powers."

"The possibilities are endless," Vader said.

"I know, but I'm scared I might ... hurt someone." He glanced quickly at Vader.

Vader considered how to answer. Almost everything Luke had seen of the Force so far had been violence. His fears were unnecessary, yet understandable. It was likely he believed the sole purpose of developing Force abilities was to kill people. Eventually, he would understand that killing was simply a means to a greater end, but that wasn't what he needed to hear right now.

"The Force may control your actions," Vader explained, "but only when you allow it. It also obeys your commands. You have a choice about what you use your power for."

"I don't know if I want to use it at all," Luke said, staring at his boots. He paused for a moment. "Is that bad?" he enquired.

"You cannot escape your destiny, Son," Vader said, surprised at the thought that Luke would not want to realize his potential. "You are what you are. As we have seen today, your Force potential cannot be suppressed for long. You are far too powerful for that."

Luke looked away, frowning about something. He obviously wasn't happy with the idea.

"You may find you will change your mind when you are older, young one," Vader said.

"Will you _please_ stop calling me that?" Luke said, straightening up. "Do you realize how old I am? I already am _older_."

"Seventeen is not older," Vader said. "Seventeen is _younger_."

"I'm leaving school in a few months," Luke pointed out.

"Why do I sense we have had this conversation before?" Vader asked.

"Because we had it last week," Luke sighed.

"Yes, now I recall," Vader said, glancing at Luke. "Because you wanted to take my newest prototype shuttle for—how did you put it? A joyride around the solar system?"

"For a test flight!" Luke protested. "Honestly, I still don't understand it. You always let me pilot on the way to Mustafar, and you let me fly all over Coruscant in a speeder by myself. Why can't I take out a shuttle alone? It's not like I'm going to head into hyperspace and get lost."

"When you are old enough to understand why I do not want you flying alone, you will be old enough to fly in space by yourself."

Luke made a noise of frustration and gripped the railing.

"And why this rush to grow up so fast?" Vader enquired. "You have plenty of life ahead of you."

"I already am grown up, that's the whole point," Luke said. "Everyone knows it, except you. Sometimes I think you still think of me as the kid you used to tuck into bed after bailing out of some crazy adventure gone awry."

Vader considered pointing out that he had to tuck Luke in just last night, after he'd found his son fast asleep over his homework. But it was true that the adventures had fallen by the wayside recently, as Luke's time was taken up with study towards his final exams. His academic schedule was crammed with galactic history, politics, economics, diplomacy, science and languages.

It had concerned Vader at one point, as he well remembered how taxing intense study could be from his own temple days. Academic pursuits certainly had their place, but he personally felt Luke would learn the most from the actual experience of the ways of the galaxy. But Luke had insisted he could handle it, and he wanted to do his best.

"I know you are no longer a child," Vader said, "but you are not ready to rule the galaxy yet. You still haven't learned to keep tools in the hangar bay." He tapped Luke lightly with the hydrospanner, and his son broke into a grin.

"I don't know. Ruling the galaxy doesn't seem so hard. You're doing it right now."

"Not quite."

"The Emperor's not here," Luke said. "You're in charge. Why aren't you sitting around in the throne room letting other people do all the work?"

"Because being a father is a full-time job," Vader said, glancing at Luke. "Or, in your case, two full-time jobs."

Luke grinned, looking away. "When is the old corpse getting back?"

Vader sighed to himself. He had long since given up correcting his son's shocking lack of respect. "Tomorrow."

"Then we've still got today to relax."

"I need to complete a prisoner inspection aboard a Star Destroyer," Vader said. "If you can finish preparing the shuttle, we can take it for a test flight."

"Can I pilot?" Luke asked, quickly. "Can I, please?"

"Very well."

"I better get to work," Luke said, appearing much happier. "By the way, I thought up a name for it. _Dunesea_. What do you think?"

" _Deathsea_ , perhaps," Vader suggested.

"Too late. I've already programmed the ship's registry and made a nameplate."

" _Dunesea_ it is, then."

"See you later."

Luke left the balcony whistling, leaving Vader alone. Vader turned back to the vast expanse of the city, deep in thought. His son was easily reassured; the same could not be said of the Emperor. For now, however, Luke was the last thing to occupy the Emperor's mind. The vast Death Star project was entering its final stages of completion ... it would be ready for its first test before another year was out. The Emperor was filled with a dark, cold pleasure whenever he thought of it, but Vader's own feelings on the matter were anything but clear.

He had his own ideas about how to maintain order in the galaxy, and they didn't involve vast technological terrors. No, he would like to see the galaxy return to a more traditional rule ... in which a new order of Sith ensured an end to rebellion. An order of which he hoped his son to be a member.

Only time would tell. Between the Death Star's completion, and Luke's growing maturity, the future was going to be interesting. To put it mildly.

* * *

There were few things Luke loved more than tinkering around with ships. Especially when he had a lot on his mind. There was something therapeutic about occupying his hands while his mind was still mulling over his father's words. His reassurance had gone a long way towards allaying his fears, as it always did.

Luke paused from sealing an access panel back into place, wondering how he would have coped with the last six months, if not for his father's support. No matter how busy he was, he was always willing to help him with any homework question, no matter how boring. And he always seemed to know what he needed before he even realized it himself, whether it was an encouraging word, or an unexpected trip into space.

Luke grinned and resumed his work on the ship. He'd been suffering piloting deprivation all day, without even realizing it. That's probably what caused the lapse in the conference room.

Familiar bootsteps and artificial breathing entered the hangar, and Luke looked up in surprise. Time always slipped by so fast when he was doing something fun. It only seemed like ten minutes ago that they were talking on the balcony together.

"We're all set," Luke called, as his father approached. "Just give me another ten seconds."

"The ship is more than adequate," his father said. "You, however, need an overhaul."

Luke glanced down at his clothes, about to protest that there was nothing wrong with his appearance. But even he had to admit that oil stained mechanic's coveralls wouldn't be the best look on a ship full of elitist uniformed officers.

"I will get her warmed up," his father said, relieving him of the tools.

Luke ran for the elevators, half worried his father would leave without him. After he sprinted across the building, dodging droids at every corner, he pulled himself into the first clean thing he found on his bedroom floor. By the time he arrived back in the hangar bay, he was still trying to comb his hair and pull on his left boot.

Fortunately, the _Dunesea_ was still there. He ran up the boarding ramp, only to find his father was sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Hey!"

"Calm down," his father said, standing up. "I was only checking the fuel."

"The fuel is fine," Luke said, slipping into the seat before his father had any ideas. "I filled her up earlier. Come on, let's go!"

He pushed the button to retract the boarding ramp, and then studied the computer screen. The pre-flight warm-up switch glowed green, indicating they were ready to depart.

"Make sure it is not in reverse," his father said, sitting down in the co-pilot's seat.

Luke pushed the throttle, raising the shuttle off the hangar floor. "I did that once," Luke said, indignant. " _Once_! And now you mention it every single time. It was an accident!"

"An accident which resulted in a month of repair work on the wall," his father said.

Luke rolled his eyes. He guided the shuttle smoothly out into the open air, careful not to snag the wings on the hangar exit. Down below, a thousand buildings streamed past, blending into a dull grey mass as they rose into the sky. The afternoon sun cast an orange glow over the steady stream of traffic heading for orbit.

Luke accelerated, and merged into the heavy traffic flow. They flew steadily for a few kilometres, and then Luke was forced to slow as the ship in front came to a halt. The traffic had become a crawl.

"We would get there faster by walking," Luke sighed, creeping forward a few centimeters.

"Patience, young one," his father said, distantly.

He was staring out the window, probably meditating if Luke knew anything. He tapped the controls impatiently as they started to move, only to come to a halt a few meters later. In frustration, he gripped the trigger. "How about we shoot all these ships out of the way?"

"Do not handle the trigger when not in a combat situation!"

"Stars, I was just joking," Luke mumbled. He nudged the throttle, pushing them another span forward.

"I am not amused," his father said.

"When are you ever?" Luke enquired.

His father didn't respond. Luke smirked to himself, and brightened up as he saw the jam was at last beginning to clear.

Entering orbit was still an exciting novelty. The atmosphere became thinner and thinner, and faded from blue to white as they entered the upper stratosphere. Then, everything turned a deep and beautiful black, and thousands of stars burst into view.

The traffic thinned out as individual ships departed for separate destinations, and Luke accelerated, relieved to have more freedom. There were thousands of ships in orbit around Coruscant and many navy docking stations. Their destination was located on the dark side of Coruscant's most distant moon. His father pointed it out on the in-flight map and Luke set the shuttle on a course towards it.

When it finally appeared in visual range, a green light began flashing on Luke's panel.

"What's that?" he asked, confused. It appeared to be a comm signal.

"They are hailing. Accept the message and read the viewscreen."

Luke did as his father suggested, then scanned the text. "It says 'transmit identification code'."

"I will send the code. You have drifted off course."

Luke looked up, seeing his father was right. "Whoops." They had swerved to the right of the huge docking station, and were currently in the path of an approaching freighter.

Luke veered back on course, as the docking platform grew larger. Two TIE Fighters had left the docking bay of one of the resident Star Destroyers.

"Escort," Vader explained. "We are expected."

Luke nodded. He looked back at the oncoming freighter. According to his scopes, it was accelerating. He shifted further left to avoid it, and was annoyed to see the freighter adjust its own course to match. The distance between them was shrinking quickly, and Luke began to feel nervous.

"That freighter's coming pretty close," he remarked.

His father looked up. Then his gloved hand swept over to his panel, causing Luke to jump. He quickly keyed in a command.

"What—?" Luke started.

Then he was thrown against his seat restraints as red beams of laser fire struck the cockpit. The panels shook with the roar of the freighter passing overhead, and then with the whine of the escort TIE Fighters rushing to defend the shuttle.

Luke gripped the controls, breathing heavily. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"My fault," his father said, calmly. "I should have reminded you to put up the shields earlier."

"What ...? Who?" Luke started, his voice shaking.

"Rebels, most likely." His father was studying the readouts. "They have been disabled."

"Why were they shooting at us?!" Luke gasped, wondering why his father was so calm.

"Shuttles are common targets for cowardly hit and run attacks, and the Rebels have been using this as a tactic recently." He glanced at Luke. "Do you wish me to take over?"

Luke pushed the throttle forward, wishing his heart would stop pounding. "No, it's okay."

"A smooth entry into the _Indestructible's_ hangar bay will require complete concentration. Are you sure you are up to the task?"

"I'm fine," Luke said, angry.

The comlink crackled to life. " _Shuttle_ Dunesea _, this is TIE Pilot Escort One. The enemy has been disabled. Did you sustain any damage?_ "

Luke switched on the transmitter. "Of course not," he snapped, and then shut off the channel.

There was silence as they continued towards the Star Destroyer. Luke slowed, determined to impress his father by not making a single error in the docking.

The comlink crackled again, and an urgent voice filled the air: "Dunesea _, a squadron of Y-wings has just come out of hyperspace! The_ Indestructible _will lock on a tractor beam and pull you to the safety of the hangar!"_

Luke slammed his hands against the controls in frustration.

* * *

Luke sat back, with his arms folded in an exaggerated manner, as the shuttle set down gently in the Star Destroyer's hangar bay. He casually switched off the engines and looked out the window, where an honor guard of stormtroopers had gathered.

"I'll stay here," Luke said, nervous at the thought of having to walk past all that pristine white armor. Next to his father, he didn't think they'd be impressed with him.

"This incident means I will be staying here considerably longer than I first anticipated. I can arrange for someone to give you a tour of the ship. This is a good opportunity for you to learn more about the daily activities on a Star Destroyer."

As interesting as that sounded, Luke didn't want to be stuck with a babysitter. "I'll be fine here," he said. "I uploaded some homework into the ship's computer. If I get bored later, I might go for a walk. How long are you going to be?"

"I will be joining the effort to destroy the Rebel fighters, and then I will be interrogating the captured pilots of the freighter. I estimate I will be ready to leave in four hours."

Luke was surprised. "You're going out dogfighting? Can't the ship's pilots handle it?"

"They are docked and understaffed. And I need to keep in practice," his father said.

He turned and left the shuttle, leaving Luke alone with his thoughts. After a few minutes, he slowly unbuckled his seat restraints and stood up for a stretch. Despite his talk of homework, he wasn't in the mood for doing it, not after the run-in with the freighter.

He waited until the stormtroopers had left, and then wandered down the exit ramp, gazing around in awe at the sheer size of the hangar. He'd been on many Star Destroyers, but few as large as this. By the time he reached the elevators, he was almost ready to sit down and rest. No chance of that, however. As he began to enter a newly arrived elevator, he found himself jumping back to avoid being run flat by a fully masked and flight-suited TIE pilot.

Luke stared after him, impressed. Could that be him one day? He daydreamed for a moment about being his father's wingmate, flying into hair-raising situations without fear ... single-handedly saving the galaxy.

A few moments later, he realized he hadn't yet pressed a button in the elevator, and so was going nowhere very fast. He scanned the rows and rows of buttons, before finally settling on one that read 'cafeteria'. You could never go wrong with food.

The doors were about to close, when two junior officers came running up. Luke held the door, and they stepped in. One of them leaned over and pushed the button for the bridge. Luke studied them curiously—they were only a few years older than him. His interest wasn't returned, however.

"Just heard Lord Vader's on board," one said.

The other one nodded. "That's one thing I haven't missed in the Outer Rim. Blasted government officials, coming on board and telling us how to do our job."

"Telling you how to do your job would be the least of your worries with Lord Vader."

"You're not telling me you believe all that Force stuff!?" The other one snorted derisively. He waved his hand in the air. "Ooooo I can strangle you without even touching you! Feel the all-powerful Force!"

Luke stared in shock. Lucky his father wasn't around to hear this! The other officer appeared just as uncomfortable.

"You've never served on one of the ships he frequents—"

"Come on! It's all fairytales. Scientifically impossible! I'm not falling for every story like some Outer Rim farmboy. Besides, Vader's just the Emperor's puppet."

Luke felt his temper rise, wondering if he should say anything. But the officer wasn't likely to care, even if he did.

The elevator stopped, breaking off the conversation. The doors slid open and waiting on the other side was a familiar face. Captain Piett. The two junior officers straightened, and quickly saluted. The captain returned the salute, and stepped in beside them. He then noticed Luke.

"Ah, young Mr Skywalker. Pleasure to see you again." He turned to the junior officers. "Ensigns, have you met Lord Vader's son?"

Luke couldn't help but smirk at the officers, as they both turned pale. One of them pressed the button to get off at the next floor, and they jumped out of the elevator like it was about to explode.

"They're certainly in a hurry," the captain remarked, as the doors slid closed.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. He glanced up the captain. "Please, just call me Luke, sir. I'm no one special."

He'd noticed adults calling him 'Mr Skywalker' more as the months went by, and it was disconcerting. It made him actually appreciate the fact that Commander Julius from the palace security team still called him 'cupcake'.

"I can hardly call you Luke if you're going to call me sir, now."

Luke smiled. "I won't then."

"Your father mentioned you were the one piloting on your journey up here," the captain continued. "I am sorry we didn't anticipate the attack. You must have a very cool head to be able to fly under such pressure."

Luke smiled shyly at the compliment. "Just a freighter firing a few shots. No big deal. I could handle it."

"You must have inherited your father's piloting skills."

Luke looked down, wondering if he was also thinking about that hydrospanner flying through the air. Or perhaps he was like the junior officer, and didn't even believe in the Force.

The elevator doors slid open at that point, and Luke saw a sign in the distance, pointing to the cafeteria.

"Where are you heading?" Captain Piett asked.

"I was hoping to get some food," Luke explained.

"I'm going to the bridge to monitor the situation with the Rebels," Captain Piett said. "They'll likely have all been destroyed by the time I get there—especially with your father taking care of things. Perhaps you'd care to join me after you've finished eating?"

"Scratch the food, I'm there," Luke said, grinning. He closed the doors again, and the elevator resumed its upward journey.

The captain stared at him looking a little surprised. Luke realized he probably hadn't answered entirely appropriately.

"I'd love to join you on the bridge," he amended. "Thanks for offering."

"You're always welcome," the captain said.

When the doors opened once again, Luke stepped out into a vast oval space, divided into two crew pits by a raised walkway. At the front end were several vast viewing windows. For a moment, he was unsure where to go first, but the captain gestured for him to follow. They walked up to a row of terminals, and another officer turned to report to the captain.

"Sir, the Rebels are retreating into hyperspace. Three have been destroyed."

Luke studied the holographic displays, seeing red and green blips moving about in a cube.

"Have any of the TIE fighters been destroyed?" he asked.

The officer glanced at Luke in curiosity, and the captain proceeded to introduce him.

"Commander, this is Luke Skywalker, Lord Vader's son. Luke, this is Commander Neem, first officer of the _Indestructible_."

"An honor," the commander said, "and to answer your question, we've sustained minimal losses. Y-Wings are a poor match for TIEs. These craft appear to be on a reconnaissance mission only."

"The _Indestructible_ recently captured some of their leaders in the Outer Rim," Captain Piett explained. "They are looking to stage a rescue mission."

"Foolish, to think they'd have a chance this close to Coruscant," the commander added.

Luke nodded, taking it all in. The idea of anyone fighting the Empire's navy always seemed crazy to him. How could anyone stand up against thousands of TIEs and a fleet of Star Destroyers? He'd never heard of anyone, Rebel or not, defeating the Empire in combat.

He supposed it was an indication of how desperately the Rebels wanted the prisoners back. Imagined images of torture and interrogation entered Luke's mind, and he quickly pushed them aside. There was nothing he could do about it right now.

* * *

After seeing to the last of his business on board the Star Destroyer, Vader returned to the ship hangar, only to find his son was no longer on board the _Dunesea_. It didn't take Vader long to guess where he would be. His suspicions were confirmed when he stepped onto the bridge, only to find his son chatting away with Captain Piett. As he approached, Luke turned to face him.

"Hi!"

Vader gave him a disapproving glance, before turning to the captain.

"Lord Vader," Captain Piett said, coming to attention.

"Captain," Vader replied, handing him a datapad. "I have compiled a list of prisoners that must be transferred to Coruscant. The others are worthless, have them executed."

"Yes, sir."

"If they're worthless, why not let them go?" Luke suggested.

"Luke, go and wait by the elevator," Vader said, firmly.

Luke hesitated for a brief instant, and then turned to the captain.

"Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome."

He then walked away, leaving Vader alone with the captain.

"I trust his presence did not interfere with the normal operation of the ship," he said.

"Not at all, sir," the captain said, quickly. "His knowledge of the mechanics and specs was very impressive."

_If only he paid as much attention to proper behavior_ , Vader thought. There was no harm done, however. The captain doubtless understood that Luke was young and just beginning to become part of a very adult world.

"Have the prisoners transferred as soon as possible," Vader said, "lest the Rebels think to stage another foolish attempt at rescuing them."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Luke felt uncomfortable as he watched his father approach. Judging by his mood, they were going to have words in the elevator. Luke sighed and pushed the down button, hoping it would move quickly. His father had never said he couldn't visit the bridge. He'd even encouraged him to leave the shuttle in the first place, so it was difficult to know exactly what his problem was.

He entered the elevator beside Luke, and pushed the button for the hangar bay. When he didn't say anything, Luke spoke up, not wanting to stand in awkward silence.

"I thought you wanted me to learn about the ship?"

"I did. I have no problem with your presence on the bridge."

"Then why that look of death?!"

"Because your greeting was inappropriate."

"I say hi to you all the time. You've never complained before."

"At home, yes. On the bridge of a Star Destroyer— _no_. Not only that, you questioned my orders in front of the captain."

"I wasn't questioning your orders," Luke protested. "I was just asking a question ... about your orders. Look, I'm trying, okay?"

They had arrived at the hangar at this point, and his father gestured for Luke to exit first.

"I know, Son. It has been a long day. I will pilot on the way home."

Luke didn't argue. It wasn't worth it. He remained silent as they boarded the shuttle, thinking over everything. His father was right. It had been a long day.

Once they were safely bound for Coruscant, Luke remembered the freighter.

"Did you find out why that ship attacked us?"

"They were not allied with the Rebels," his father said, accelerating towards the planet. "They were intoxicated smugglers. Their timing with the Y-wings was coincidental."

"Oh. So I guess you let them go," Luke said, stifling a yawn.

"They are dead."

Luke felt sick. "Is that even legal?! Don't they get a trial?"

"I gave them a trial. I found them guilty."

As they entered the atmosphere, Luke decided to change the subject. "So what do you think of this shuttle? Are they going to make more?"

"Perhaps. The four winged design adds much stability when flying in atmosphere, yet does not hinder speed when in space."

"I noticed that too," Luke said, staring out the window as they approached their home. The spires of the Imperial Palace dominated the horizon, the tallest among many towering buildings.

There was silence until they set down in the hangar. His father switched off the engine, and looked over at Luke.

"You should go to bed. It is getting late, and you have school tomorrow."

Luke shook his head. "I have to finish off some homework for my politics class. We have to have the first draft of an essay in tomorrow."

"That reminds me," his father said. "I have arranged for one of the Emperor's senior political advisors to give you practical lessons in senate procedures. The Emperor requested this for you several months ago."

"Why does he care what I know about politics?" Luke said, frowning. The classes at school were bad enough, never mind being forced to give up his free time over it.

"Consider it a vested interest."

"He's not thinking I'm going to graduate school and become a politician, is he?" Luke said, aghast. "Because that's not going to happen. It's bad enough learning about it. I know my mother was a senator, but when it comes to politics, I'll freely admit that I take after you."

"What makes you think I don't like politics?" his father said, sitting back down. He sounded amused.

"Oh, I don't know," Luke said, grinning. "Maybe it's the never ending death threats you make when talking about senators."

"One can dislike certain politicians, yet enjoy politics, Son. But you are right—it is not my favorite subject. I slept through many classes when I was your age."

Luke grinned, trying to imagine his disciplined father sleeping through a class about anything.

"I came to understand it far better after having practical lessons. As will you."

"So I have to hang around with a stuffy old political advisor?" Luke said. "Can he write my essay for me?"

"I never said he was old," his father said, "and even if he was, don't judge people by their age. I will make arrangements with your school to reduce your workload while you are taking part in these lessons."

"I don't really have a choice about this, do I?" Luke enquired.

"Astutely observed."

Luke stared at his father in silence for a moment, wondering why he didn't put up more of a fight. Maybe it was fatigue, maybe he already knew he was beaten. Or maybe he'd do anything to make his father proud of him.

"I have always been proud of you, Son," his father said, sounding concerned.

Luke cringed, embarrassed at having such a personal thought exposed.

"Is this about my remarks about your behavior on the ship? Luke, you should not interpret my every correction as a statement of overall disappointment."

"It's not about that," Luke said, rubbing his head. "I just don't know if I can live up to it all. I don't think I'm going to be ready to help you run the galaxy in six months, no matter how many classes I take."

Luke stood up, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready. Maybe I could just be a pilot ... I'm ready for that now. I could still help you ... just not with anything large or important."

"I'll keep that in mind," his father said, standing up beside him.

"I'm serious!"

"Son ..."

Luke met his gaze, somewhat reluctantly.

"I have every confidence that you will fulfil all my expectations, and more besides. But if you should not, I will still be your proud father. Understood?"

"Even if I renounce this whole thing and go back to Tatooine?" Luke asked. The idea had crossed his mind on more than one occasion lately.

"Are you considering that?" his father asked, sounding worried.

"No," Luke said. "I'd miss your ships too much. Maybe I'd even miss you a little sometimes."

"And you would no doubt die of boredom, if Tatooine hasn't changed since I was last there."

"True," Luke agreed. "All right. Political lessons, here comes Luke Skywalker." Luke smiled at his father, enjoying the moment. They had so few together, given his father's schedule. It was during moments like these that he wanted to fulfil his father's expectations. He wanted him to know his confidence in him wasn't misplaced. That, more than anything, drove him to succeed in all he did. He would attend these political lessons without another complaint.

"Good. Now, go to sleep, my son. Don't make me use a mind trick on you."

"You know they don't work on me."

"Goodnight, Son."

* * *


	2. Princess Leia

"It's one of the smoothest ships I've ever flown."

Luke paused from his detailed description of the _Dunesea_ , to take a bite from his lunch. His friend Ben sat opposite, working on his homework, and only half listening.

"It's got four wings," Luke said, his speech obscured slightly by the food in his mouth, "and when it's flying, they fold out. Like this."

Luke moved his fingers and thumbs into an X-shape.

"That's great, Luke," Ben said, distantly. "So are we still going to the library after school? I need to do some more research for my biology project."

"Sure. I need to start studying for my next history test."

"Have you finished the politics essay?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Luke said, reaching into his bag for his time planner. "I'm supposed to be going to the senate this afternoon. I'll have to forget about the library."

"The senate? What for?"

"One of the Emperor's political advisors is going to give me some practical lessons in senate procedure," Luke explained. "The Emperor requested it, according to my father."

"Sounds interesting."

"That wasn't my reaction," Luke said. "Why don't you come too? If I fall asleep, you can tell me what I missed afterwards."

"Sure, I'll come," Ben said. "I can get his advice on my essay. I'm stuck. I like the subject, but essay writing is not my thing."

"You only took politics in the first place because Ophelia is in the class," Luke said, grinning.

Ben turned slightly red. "That's not true."

Luke noticed Ben's gaze drift past him, so he turned around to investigate. Ophelia had just entered the cafeteria. She headed straight for her friends, not bothering to notice anyone else. Ben quickly pretended to be absorbed in his homework.

"She may be pretty," Luke said, "but that's all I can say. You deserve someone so much better."

"She may act stuck up, but it's just her way of shutting the world out," Ben explained. "There's more to her, I know there is. If it was just her and me, maybe shipwrecked on some isolated planet for a few months—"

"Too much information!" Luke protested, raising a hand.

Ben grinned. "Anyway, I know it's crazy! A Grand Moff's daughter and me—as though that would happen. You'd have a better chance with her."

"Not going to happen. We're too different. Besides, I don't want to go out with anyone from a rich or powerful family."

"That cancels out just about every girl in Imperial City."

"Well, there's a whole galaxy out there," Luke said. "That's one thing I'm really looking forward to after exams. Seeing the galaxy."

"You think you'll have time?" Ben asked.

Luke considered it. His father had never been clear about exactly what he'd be doing after he left school. When he prodded for details, his queries were always met with incomprehensible replies about fulfilling his destiny and following his chosen path.

"Well, I'm hoping I'll be allowed to go on missions with my father," Luke said. "He might finally let me fly a TIE fighter. I know what I _don't_ want to do. Stay here and learn more about politics."

"Have you told your father this?" Ben asked.

"He knows. He told me last night he'd be proud of me no matter what."

"That's nice," Ben said. "I wish my father felt the same."

"What happened?" Luke said, munching on a piece of fruit. "Another argument about you going to medical school?"

"Last night he gave me a prospectus for a university that trains junior diplomats. It's so annoying. I made up my mind two years ago, and he still hasn't accepted it."

"What did you say?"

"I threw it back at him and told him I couldn't wait to move out. We weren't talking this morning."

"That's harsh," Luke said, surprised.

"He won't let it drop, otherwise."

Luke didn't reply. He liked Ben's father a lot, so it was hard to take Ben's side completely, as his friend always did when the situation was reversed. But it was difficult to see Ben and his father drifting apart like this. It had been getting steadily worse over the last few months.

Ben's father didn't seem to mind what his son did, as long as he was serving the Empire in some way. Ben had his heart set on being a doctor and wouldn't hear of joining the military.

"I'll meet you at the landing pad after class," Luke said, standing up as the end of lunch signal sounded in the distance. "Did I tell you I brought the MX speeder today?"

Luke grinned as his friend's eyes lit up. The MX was his favorite.

* * *

When Vader entered the Emperor's private hangar anteroom, he expected to find a group of dignitaries waiting to formally welcome the Emperor back to Coruscant. Instead, he found a few nervous royal aides, and a distressed protocol advisor.

"Where is the Grand Vizier?" he asked, half dreading the answer.

"I'm afraid he was summoned to an urgent call a moment ago , my lord," the advisor said, gesturing at the two aides. "Grand Moff Kinar was also supposed to be here, but he never turned up. Sate Pestage left twenty minutes ago to find him."

Vader released a weary breath. He had also been summoned to an urgent call, but intended to see to it after greeting the Emperor. Down below on the hangar floor, the royal guards, stormtroopers, and other military officers were out in full force. Outside, hundreds of escort ships were flying in formation, ready to form an aerial honour guard when the Emperor's shuttle was sighted.

Reluctantly, he picked up his comlink, deciding to take matters into his own hands.

Luke answered almost immediately.

"Hi, Father," he said, sounding like he'd just started chewing a mouthful of food. "Yes, I'm on my way to the senate."

"You are?" Vader considered it for a moment, before remembering the political lessons. "Good," he amended. "I hope you are not talking while piloting."

"We're stopped at Night Burger. I can't learn politics on an empty stomach."

"Then I hope you are not getting grease and salt on the speeder upholstery."

"I'll clean it when I get home," Luke replied, rolling his eyes.

"Goodbye, Son."

Vader cut the call, concluding that asking Luke to fill the missing place was out of the question. Besides, in hindsight, it was better not to draw the Emperor's attention to Luke's growing maturity.

A clatter of boots interrupted Vader's thoughts.

"The shuttle has just been sighted," Sate Pestage said, as he entered the room, "and I managed to convince Grand Moff Halifax to join the greeting party. With me, there will be enough of us."

_Managed to convince?_ Vader eyed the sycophantic Grand Moff with disgust. He would likely have paid large sums of money for the opportunity.

"Where is Grand Moff Kinar?" Vader demanded.

"Captured—by the Rebels," Grand Moff Halifax explained. "They came out of hyperspace at a fueling station, disabled his ship, and took the crew prisoner. ISB are briefing the Grand Vizier."

Vader clenched his gloved hands together. More than anything, he wanted to be away from all this pointless pomp and circumstance, and out there making the Rebels pay for this insult.

"Very well," he snapped. "We will deal with this later. Hurry."

He strode away from the viewing area, and towards the elevator that would carry them down to the hangar floor.

* * *

The senate landing pads were crammed full, as was usual when a session was about to begin. Fortunately, his father's VIP parking permit on the royal landing pad was still valid, even when it was only his teenage son in one of his speeders, something Luke was grateful for.

Ben leaned back as he switched off the engine.

"These seats are so comfy. I don't want to get out."

"I like the cup holders," Luke said, removing a disposable cup and the leftovers of their fly-through meal.

"And the six channel sound system," Ben said.

"The in-flight HoloNet terminal," Luke added.

"I can't believe your father let's you fly this to school."

"It was a reward for fixing the engine alignment," Luke explained, while climbing out onto the pad. "Prototypes always have little things wrong with them."

Ben finally pulled himself away from enjoying the speeder's seats, and they walked across the plush red carpet that led to the intricately sculptured entranceway. Royal guards stood unmoving on either side, looking like works of art themselves. They didn't react as he and Ben walked past. A Senate guard met them in the corridor.

"Mr Skywalker, you're expected in the Prosperity Room." He glanced at Ben. "You have a guest?"

"This is my friend, Ben," Luke explained. "Just call me Luke."

"Ben—?"

"Jarnet," Ben supplied.

"Very well. Gentlemen, follow me and I will announce you."

The guard turned away, blue robes streaming behind him.

"You don't have to do that," Luke said, hastily walking after him. He hated being announced, as if he were some kind of royalty.

The guard didn't hear him, or maybe chose to ignore him. When they reached the room, the guard entered first. Luke followed close behind, but Ben pulled him back.

"You're not supposed to enter until after they announce you," he whispered.

"Too bad," Luke mumbled back.

He slipped in behind the guard, who was only just getting started.

"May I present Luke Skywalker, first-born son of his majesty's Imperial enforcer, Lord Darth Vader."

He paused for breath.

"And his guest, Ben Jarnet."

Ben stepped in beside him, and Luke hid a smile as the guard turned to them.

"Gentlemen, may I present Professor Nevi Graphas, member of the distinguished faculty of political science at the First University of Coruscant, and advisor to his most high Imperial Majesty, Emperor Palpatine."

The professor bowed in the formal greeting of the Imperial court. Luke froze for an instant, but soon followed suit as Ben immediately did the same. His father had taught him how to do this at one point, but all Luke could remember of the lesson was banging his head on something, and nearly losing his balance. Fortunately, that didn't happen now.

The guard departed, and Luke shared a glance with Ben.

"First-born son," Luke mumbled. "I'm his only child!"

"He made me sound like a random person off the street," Ben whispered back.

The professor moved closer at that point, causing them both to stop talking.

"An honor to meet you," he said, reaching out to shake Luke's hand.

"This is my friend, Ben," Luke explained. "He's smarter than me, and knows more about politics, so I invited him along."

"Pleasure." After shaking Ben's hand, he gestured at the table.

"Why don't you both take a seat, and we'll talk a little about what's happening in the Senate this afternoon. Then we can proceed over to the observation lounge, and watch it all take place."

Luke managed to pay attention throughout the first part, although Ben asked the most questions. The professor went over the basic rules of senate procedure again, to refresh their memory, and then talked about the various items on the agenda today.

When they stood up to walk across to the observation room, Luke saw a good opportunity to ask a question of his own.

"Professor, there's one thing I've never understood about the senate," he said. "For instance, you said the senators will be discussing new legislation designed to protect naval officers from lawsuits. Why does it matter what the senate says? The Emperor is the one who has the ultimate say on whether it's law or not. Why waste time discussing it if their opinion doesn't count?"

"Oh, their opinion counts very much, despite appearance," the professor said. "Their opinion represents fairness and justice to the galaxy. It is vitally important for a government to be seen as fair. If the senate votes in favor of this legislation, even those who disagree with it will accept that it was brought into effect with fair deliberation."

"But what if the senate votes to throw it out," Luke said, not quite understanding, "and then the Emperor brings it into law anyway? Then isn't all the senate discussion a bit pointless?"

"The Emperor would only bring in law the senate had rejected in an extremely rare situation," the professor explained. "For example, one vital to ensure galactic security."

"Didn't that happen just last week?" Ben asked. "With the amendment to the Sedition Suppression Act?"

"That was a slightly different situation. That was an example of a law that needed to be passed quickly, and so it bypassed the entire senate procedure, and fell straight into the Emperor's hands."

"But if it had gone before the senate, would they have voted in favour of it?" Ben said. "I'm not sure. Parts of it seemed a little ... controversial. To me, at least."

"And what parts would those be?" the professor asked.

Luke tuned out, deciding his question had already been answered. The senate was for show, because it made the population think the government was fair. The Emperor only let legislation be debated by the senate if he knew they would vote in favor of it.

The point of all this spectacle was still lost on him, but perhaps it had reached the limits of his political understanding. He pressed himself against the viewing glass, admiring the vast chamber. He'd been here plenty of times in the past, but it never lost its novelty. He always wondered if the senators ever got bored and started racing the pods around. But somehow he doubted they could travel very fast, given the small repulsors.

Ben and the professor fell silent as Rethera Eet, current chairperson of the senate, announced the first order of business. As the professor had said, it was passage of a bill to grant legal immunity to naval officers in any court but the Empire's own.

Luke watched carefully as a senator from some planet he'd never heard off launched into a long speech in favor of the bill. He described it as a small way to say thank you to all the brave and loyal women and men who protected the galaxy day after day. It was the least we could do, he claimed, to protect them from malicious and frivolous lawsuits designed to prevent them from doing their job. To not pass this bill would be placing lives in danger.

"Are they going to vote now?" Luke asked, as the senator sat down, in the midst of loud applause. "I think it sounds like a good idea."

"So does everyone else, judging by the applause," Ben added.

"No voting until we've heard from the opposition," the professor explained.

"And now, the chair recognizes the senator from the Alderaan system, her royal highness, Princess Leia Organa," Rethera Eet announced.

"Alderaan," Luke repeated. "I've heard of that. It's where—"

Luke's voice faded into nothing as he caught sight of the giant viewscreen on the wall.

"She's pretty," Ben remarked.

"She's _beautiful_ ," Luke insisted.

"And she's of an age with the two of you," the professor said. "Pay close attention to the princess. She will no doubt have something interesting to say."

He didn't need to tell him twice. Luke stood up and pressed himself against the window, wanting to get the best possible view.

"Honorable representatives of the Empire," she began, her young voice ringing over the room's audio system. "We cannot let this piece of garbage be inflicted on us. It is nothing but an insidious attempt to allow naval officers to torture, molest and pillage the citizens of this galaxy with no consequence."

"Whoa," Ben said, looking shocked.

The other senators erupted into boos and insults. They didn't phase the princess in the slightest.

"What we have here is an attempt to place naval officers above the law. One law for them, and one law for the rest of us. I ask you, fellow senators, if one of us were to abduct a random person from the street, lock them up and torture them to death, what would the consequences be? An appointment with a criminal psychiatrist? A lifetime in a penal institution? If this law comes into effect, the only consequences a naval officer will face is a token lawsuit in an Imperial military court, which has thrown out ninety percent of military misconduct charges brought before it in the past year alone."

The other senators were almost rioting at this point. Luke could see physical objects being tossed in the princesses' direction.

"I can't believe I ever thought this was going to be boring," he said, glancing at Ben. Ben appeared too surprised to reply.

"Senator, will you allow a question?" Rethera Eet asked.

"I will allow a question," the princess replied.

Another pod floated into the center, occupied by a bunch of tentacled people belonging to a species Luke didn't recognize. They did not speak basic, but an electronic translation sounded over the audio system.

"What proof does the senator have that torture exists within the Imperial navy? It is clearly outlawed by numerous pieces of legislation."

"He's kidding, right?" Luke asked the professor. "Everyone knows the Imperial military tortures people.."

"Officially, they don't," the professor explained.

Luke frowned in confusion. Was he saying that the Empire lied to the public, and pretended that torture didn't happen? Before he had a chance to ask further, the princess spoke again.

"The question here is not whether Imperial officers engage in torture," she said, "but the fact that this legislation allows them to do so with legal immunity."

"That's clever," Ben said. "She's redirected the focus of the question."

"The mark of a natural politician," the professor explained.

"I have to wonder," the princess continued, "if we have such faith in our military that any talk of crime is outrageous, why the need for this alteration in the first place? Are our officers being constantly dragged before planetary court systems? Are they being found guilty? Perhaps we should ask why this is happening, before we start rushing to outlaw it. Perhaps we should face the growing evidence that torture is common—even encouraged, at the very highest level of Imperial leadership."

The cries of 'traitor' were almost deafening. The chairperson was yelling for order, and the barrage of objects flying towards the senator's pod increased in intensity.

"I've never seen the cafeteria at school get this bad," Ben said.

"It's like a kindergarten," Luke agreed, staring at the viewscreen.

"I've seen far worse," the professor said.

Eventually, the senate chair called for a recess, and the shouting died down as the Alderaan pod withdrew back to its cradle.

"I'm surprised she even said those things," Ben said.

"But it was true," Luke insisted.

"Truth is often a point of view," the professor said.

* * *

After the welcome ceremonies were over and done with, the Emperor requested a private audience with Vader in the throne room. Privacy was becoming essential as the Death Star reached its final stages. There was more than a hint that Rebel spies had heard rumours of its existence. The Emperor was not willing to trust even his own royal guard, which Vader could readily understand. This project had cost billions of credits and nearly two decades of planning and construction. To risk a setback now was unacceptable.

"My master," Vader said, bowing as he approached the throne. "I hope the Death Star has lived up to your expectations."

"Indeed it has, my friend. Director Krennic has done well."

"How long until it is completed?"

"Not soon enough, it seems. I hear you had some trouble with the Rebels."

"They grow stronger," Vader admitted. "And bolder. Grand Moff Kinar has been taken prisoner by the Rebels, a mere hour ago. They are becoming increasingly well equipped ... there is an organized coalition of planets who are funding them, I am sure of it, my master."

"Not for long," the Emperor said, coldly. "Once the Death Star is operational, we will uncover those traitorous planets, and remove them from the map."

"Should I make arrangements to seek Kinar's release?"

"Do not bother," the Emperor said, calmly. "It is no great loss. We will promote someone else in his place. Doubtless one of his assistants has already moved into his mansion."

"Undoubtedly, my master. And if former Grand Moff Kinar returns?"

"Execute him. He was a tiring nuisance, anyway."

"Yes, my master."

Believing the conversation to be over, Vader was about to make an exit. But the Emperor continued.

"Lord Vader, while I was away, I felt an unusual disturbance in the Force."

Vader was silent, dreading what was coming next.

"So. How is young Luke Skywalker?"

"He is well, Master," Vader said, carefully. "He is at the senate as we speak, learning with Professor Graphas."

"Has he shown any aptitude for politics?"

Vader considered how to answer. "He is a smart boy, and a natural leader," he said, finally, "but he prefers action over deliberation."

"His father's son, in other words," the Emperor said.

"Yes, Master."

"What do you see in his future?"

"He will become a loyal servant of the Empire. A great asset."

"His fate is not so clear to me," the Emperor said. "I sense danger. I am not oblivious, my friend—I realize you would like to see him realize his Force potential. But you do not consider the consequences."

"I only consider the benefits for the Empire," Vader said. "The Death Star cannot be everywhere at once."

"That is true. But perhaps you should give your grand vision further thought. Is he emotionally strong enough to handle the power of the Dark Side?"

Vader was silent, considering the Emperor's question. He had handled the Dark Side. Luke could, too.

"Regardless, I will continue to observe him," the Emperor said. "If he proves mature enough, I will give your idea further thought. In the meantime, he _must_ remain untrained."

Vader didn't protest. He expected as much and was pleased the Emperor had not dismissed his idea entirely.

"In the interim, I have a task for young Skywalker. The Archduke of Quasher will be visiting the Imperial court as my personal guest next week. He is bringing his son, who will be replacing their retiring senator. He is of an age with young Skywalker. I thought your son could befriend the young man."

"He will be happy to assist in any way he can," Vader said, pleased his master considered Luke ready for an official duty like this.

"And perhaps the young politician can be of assistance to your efforts in preparing your son. An ISB agent has vetted the young man several times, and finds him to be of great potential. Charismatic, confident, and as unswervingly loyal as a stormtrooper. A perfect choice for a senator."

Vader idly wondered if Luke would get on with such a person.

"Young Skywalker could learn a lot from him," the Emperor said, pointedly.

* * *

"So, what did you think of it?" Luke asked, as he and Ben departed from the observation lounge.

"Interesting," Ben said. "How often do you have to attend these lessons?"

"Once a week," Luke said.

"Do you think your father would mind if I came every week?"

"Why?" Luke asked. "Are you feeling your true calling? Politics?"

"I thought _you_ were, the way you were staring at the princess," Ben said, smirking.

"Shut up!"

"Do you want to go and wander around her pod entrance," Ben suggested, mockingly. "In case we see her ...?"

"Stop it. Listen, do you want to get some food before we leave?"

"Good idea," Ben said, changing direction towards the nearby elevators. "We might see her in the cafeteria."

"Ben!"

"This is what you get for years of mocking me about Ophelia."

"That's different," Luke said, pressing the button to travel up. "Ophelia isn't like the princess."

"How do you know? She's a _princess_ ... "

The elevator arrived, and Luke entered ahead of Ben. "That doesn't mean she's a snob."

"Even if she wasn't, I don't think you'd have much chance with her," Ben said. "I don't think she likes the Empire."

"She's not a snob!" Luke insisted. He studied the buttons, and then pressed one that had a tiny label saying 'food'. "And what makes you think she doesn't like the Empire? She's a senator, not a Rebel."

"Did you listen to anything she said?"

"Yes."

Ben shook his head. "Forget it. Let's just get food ... I'm so hungry."

Luke nodded in agreement. They rode the elevator in silence for a few minutes, watching the lights flash past as they rushed upwards. About halfway up, the elevator began to slow. Ben shifted over to Luke's side of the elevator, anticipating someone was about to enter.

When the doors slid open with a hissing noise, Luke's eyes widened in surprise. _She_ was among those waiting on the other side. Her face appeared so much younger in close proximity. And she was short. Half a head shorter than him.

Ben nudged him, smirking. Luke could only stare.

The group of people entered the elevator, but Luke didn't notice anyone except _her_. She glanced at the buttons, and then rested against the opposite wall. Shortly afterwards, the elevator resumed its journey.

Luke felt a strange sensation in the back of his mind. Worry, mixed with a strong determination. These weren't his thoughts, and they certainly weren't Ben's. They were hers ... he could _sense_ her thoughts. He'd never been able to do this before, certainly not with a complete stranger. Ben's thoughts were a mystery to him, unless his friend was feeling a particularly strong emotion.

The elevator stopped, and the people who had boarded with Leia departed, leaving the three of them alone. When they began travelling again, she turned her brown-eyed gaze towards him, and Luke felt a sudden spike in his sense of her. He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Uh ..." Luke heard a vague noise come out of his mouth, which didn't make any sense.

"We heard your speech," Ben supplied, coming to his rescue.

Luke rubbed his head, forcing himself to concentrate. "It was ... wonderful. I agreed with every word."

"Thank you," she said. "I only hope it makes a difference. Many lives depend on it."

Luke was silent for a moment, and then blurted out, "Are you really a princess?"

Ben looked at him like he was a few grains short of a sand dune, but Luke couldn't take it back now.

Fortunately, she only smiled. "You can call me Leia. What can I call you?"

"Uh ... Luke. Luke Skywalker."

There was a moment of silence, and then Ben spoke up. "I'm Ben Jarnet," he said.

"Where do you call home?" Leia asked.

"Oh, we live in Imperial city," Luke explained. "We're just here to study politics. It's ... a school project."

"Your parents want you to have careers in the senate?" Leia inferred.

"Mine does, but I'm not interested," Ben said. "I admire all the work politicians do, but I don't think I could handle the responsibility."

"It can be very hard," Leia admitted. "It's hard convincing people to take you seriously, especially when they see you as a mere child. How about you, Luke?"

"Me, oh ... well if it meant seeing you every day, I would consider this the best place to work in the entire galaxy."

There was a second of silence, and then Luke realized what he had said.

"I meant hearing you every day," he corrected. "Hearing your speeches!"

"Are you getting out here," she said, gesturing at the doors. Luke wondered how long they'd been sitting open like that.

He reluctantly stepped out, with Ben close behind. He turned back to say goodbye, but the elevator doors had already slid closed.

"Blast it!" he said. "I said something stupid, didn't I?"

"That was a study in how not to meet a girl, Luke."

Luke frowned for a moment, and then quickly brightened up. "At least she knows my name."

* * *

Vader withdrew to the ship hangar in the evening, deciding to continue with a modification project. Fiddling around with an engine always gave him focus. The conversation with the Emperor had given him much to think about, and he'd found his thoughts dwelling on his son ever since.

He was capable, no doubt of that. He had talent and passion to spare, when he put his mind to accomplishing a task. He would make a powerful Sith Lord, perhaps the most powerful the galaxy had ever known. When he passed on all his years of knowledge and experience, Luke would become everything he should have been. Put simply, Luke was brilliant.

If all this was so obvious to him, why couldn't the Emperor see it?

A distant rumble caused Vader to look up from his work. The MX speeder zoomed into the hangar, and squealed as it was forced into a ninety-degree turn. Finally, it reversed into a vacant spot and the engine shut off.

A moment later, the canopy popped open, and one youthfully exuberant Skywalker jumped out. He spied Vader immediately, and came running over.

"Hi!"

"How was the senate?" Vader asked, tightening a loose bolt.

"Fantastic!"

Vader felt a slight unease growing in the back of his mind. Had Luke developed a newfound interest in politics?

"What did you learn?" he enquired.

"Oh, something about something," Luke said, picking up a polishing cloth. "I forget. But I met this girl ... she was ... indescribable."

Vader almost smiled. His unease quickly evaporated. "I see."

"I felt ... _happy_ ," Luke said. "From the moment I saw her. Is that normal?"

"At your age, very normal," Vader said. "Was she the daughter of one of the senators?"

"Better, she _was_ a senator!" Luke said. "She was about my age, and she's already a senator. Can you believe it?"

"What was her name?" Vader asked, having a sudden suspicion.

"Leia," Luke said, staring blankly into the distance. "Beautiful name."

"Princess Leia Organa?"

"Yes," Luke said, focusing back on Vader. "Do you know her?"

"Yes. Very brave ... and very stubborn."

"She's _beautiful._ "

"Before you start planning your wedding, you should know that she spends her spare time throwing flaming darts at an effigy of me."

"I don't like her in _that_ way," Luke protested. He paused for a moment. "She really hates you?"

"I believe she was once censored by the Senate chair after she referred to me as a personification of everything wrong with the Empire."

"Maybe she just hasn't taken the time to know you properly," Luke said, polishing a hydrospanner.

"Undoubtedly," Vader said, amused at his son's optimism.

"Do you like her?" Luke enquired.

Vader considered it. "I admire her dedication and emotional strength. She reminds me of ... someone." Vader returned to realigning a side panel. "But she is wrong about everything when it comes to politics. Her father is similarly misguided. I hold him more accountable, because he witnessed first hand the corruption of the Republic. To hear them talk, one would think they wish to see the galaxy returned to war and chaos."

"So ..." Luke said, "if by some crazy chance I happened to have the opportunity to invite her over ... would you have a problem with it?"

"Why would you invite her over?" Vader said, somewhat bemused. "To play hologames? To help you modify a speeder?"

Luke frowned. "I'm serious!"

"As long as she does not mislead you with her political ideas."

"You'd be polite to her?"

"When have I ever not been polite to your friends?"

"Let's see ... every single time you come into contact with them. The first time Ben came over here, you ordered Lev to take him away, like he was a piece of garbage."

"Considering he had just crawled out of a trash compactor, it was an honest mistake."

Luke groaned, and started to walk towards the elevators.

"Goodnight, Dad."

Vader stretched out with the Force, causing Luke to stop in his tracks.

"I meant goodnight, _your lordship_ ," Luke corrected.

"I would hope so. But I need to talk to you about something else."

Luke turned back, expectantly.

"The Archduke of Quasher will stay at the palace as an official guest of the Emperor. Part of the purpose of his visit is to introduce his son to Coruscant, as his son will be taking over the role of senator when the existing one retires."

Luke's eyes had glazed over.

"His son is of an age with you. You will befriend the young man, and ensure his stay on Coruscant is an enjoyable experience."

"Befriend who?" Luke said, quickly regaining focus. "The Archduke and senator of where?"

"Quasher. Not him, but his son."

"The son of the person who's going to be the next senator?"

"No, his son is going to be the next senator."

"And he's _my_ age?"

"Yes. It is an honor that the Emperor is entrusting you with this task."

"It's a mistake," Luke protested. "I don't know how to entertain someone who's going to be a senator. Everyone is more mature than me. I've heard about two people my age who are already senators, and I'm ... still trying to figure out the difference between an amendment and an act."

"Luke," Vader said, walking over to place a hand on his son's shoulder. It seemed he was doing a lot of this fatherly reassurance lately. "Your talents lie on a different path. I have every faith that you can complete this task, and many more besides."

"I wish I knew what that path was, sometimes," Luke said, staring at his boots.

"Perhaps you will not have to wait long to find out," Vader said, cryptically. He didn't wish to build up Luke's hopes by elaborating further, no matter how high the possibility of Sith training was.

* * *


	3. Meeting Tyloid

The second senate lesson was shorter than the first, as the proceedings were more than half over by the time Luke arrived. The professor was more talkative this time, and engaged Ben in a long discussion about the pros and cons of power invested in many, versus power invested in one.

Luke couldn't really follow it. More than likely because he'd been distracted by Leia. Unfortunately, the princess didn't make a speech this time around and apparently some new law had been introduced over the last few days, preventing senators from making unfounded accusations involving the Imperial military.

Luke had wanted to stay behind to see if he could have a chance meeting with Leia again, but Ben had homework to finish.

"Are we going to the library?" Luke enquired, once they were airborne.

"No," Ben said. "Back to the palace."

"Meeting your father?" He hadn't heard much from Ben about his father recently, which hinted that they might have stopped arguing.

"Unfortunately. We're going over to my uncle's for dinner."

"Does he know about the senate lessons?" Luke asked.

"No. If I mentioned them, he'd only take that as an excuse to start encouraging me into politics again."

Luke was silent, thinking. If only there was some way he could fix all this. Maybe if he talked to Ben's father alone. On the other hand, he didn't want to nosy into something that was really none of his business.

"I just wish there was some way I could help," Luke said, as they entered the palace security zone. He flicked a switch to start transmitting their clearance code. "I hate to see you drifting apart."

Ben sighed. "I know. I don't want it to happen, but ... nothing is going to change until he accepts that I'm going to medical school, and that's final."

Luke grinned. His friend was rarely so stubborn.

"You know what he said to me the other day?" Ben said, as Luke flew the speeder down into the underground hangar bays. It would be easier for Ben to get to his father's office from there. "He said that because he had spent the last seventeen years supporting me and my education, all by himself, that he deserved a say in my career."

"What did you say?" Luke asked, looking around for a space to park in. The bay was crammed with boring speeders that were probably owned by the palace staff. Finally he spotted a gap next to a few fuel canisters.

"I told him I didn't ask to be born."

Luke twisted his neck around, reversing slowly into the gap.

"What did he say?"

"He said he didn't ask for me to be born either."

Luke slipped off the brake in shock, sending them shooting back into the wall. There was a loud crunch, and four crates tumbled backwards.

"Stars, Luke, you've broken something!" Ben jumped out onto the floor. "You've broken the Emperor's property!"

"Calm down!" Luke insisted, turning off the engine. "It was just some crates! Nothing the Emperor owns would be stored down here."

"He's going to kill us!" Ben said, rushing around behind to see the damage. "We're going to be locked up, we're going to be—"

Luke followed his friend.

"What is it?"

"Some crusty old bike," Ben said, sounding relieved. "I think it was already broken, thank the Force."

Luke saw a lid had fallen off one of the crates, and a half-moon speeder bike had slipped out onto the deck. It was certainly old and covered with sand.

"Wow, an antique!" Luke said. "I wonder if it still goes?"

"Don't even think about it," Ben said, raising his hands. "I'm getting out of here. You should too."

"I guess you're right," Luke said, glancing idly at the other crates. They had fallen down, but appeared to be still intact.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Ben said, rushing for the doors.

Luke remained staring at the bike, wondering what it would look like after a lube and polish. There was a heavy equipment elevator at the rear of the hangar bay, and a repulsorlift trolley. If he was discreet about it, he could shift it up to his father's personal hangar bay without anyone noticing.

* * *

"What is _that_?!"

"This?" Luke said, sliding out from under the engine. His father was filling the doorway to the workroom where he'd found a new home for the speeder bike. He'd been working on the engine for an hour now and was thoroughly covered in sand and grease. "I was hoping you could tell me."

His father ran his hand over the back storage compartment, and then leaned over to see the controls.

"I would guess about ten years pre-Empire. Where did you find it?"

"In one of the hangar bays near the guard headquarters. It was in a crate. I'm still trying to clean all the sand out of the engine."

His father took a step backwards at the mention of the word sand.

"The Archduke of Quasher and his son arrived this afternoon. The Grand Vizier is hosting a state banquet for them this evening. You will attend."

Luke looked back at the engine. "But … I really want to work on this. Can't you tell them I'm sick?"

His father folded his arms. "Do we need to have a talk about duty and responsibility?"

"Stars, no," Luke said. He'd well and truly memorised his father's favourite lecture on that subject.

"Then go and get yourself cleaned up and dressed appropriately. This event is in an hour. I will accompany you to the dining room for introductions, but I will not stay. You can practice your diplomatic skills."

"What diplomatic skills?" Luke said, standing up and brushing himself off.

"That's why I said _practice_."

This was sounding worse by the minute. "So how dressed up do I have to be?"

"Let me put it like this," his father said, in a dry tone. "Can you think of any situation that would require you to dress better than if you were representing the Empire at a state banquet at the Imperial Palace?"

"I'll see what I can find," Luke mumbled, taking one last longing look at the speeder bike. Perhaps they'd be time to go back to work on it afterwards.

After an hour of showering, dressing, and generally making himself presentable, Luke tried to push away the lingering feelings of resentment at having to give up his evening to have dinner with strangers. But he did enjoy his father's nod of approval as he stepped out of his room.

"Good. Apart from the engine grease in your hair."

"That's hair gel," Luke protested.

"I know engine grease when I see it, Son. But we must go."

Luke followed his father, starting to feel a tinge of anxiety. No matter how many formal social occasions he had attended over the last five years, he never felt comfortable. Everyone must see immediately that he didn't exactly look like he belonged around here.

"It is time you started accompanying me to official events more often," his father remarked, as they entered the elevator. He clearly wasn't tapping into his thoughts for once.

"You hate official events," Luke said.

His father continued as if he hadn't spoken. "The senate is a start, but there is only so much you can learn there. You need to observe the true mechanism behind the workings of the Empire."

"I know exactly how the Empire is run," Luke said, as the elevator began to rise to the upper levels. "The Emperor tells everyone what to do, and everyone obeys him."

"A crude appraisal, but not entirely untrue."

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" Luke asked, staring at his boots. One was polished far more than the other, but there wasn't much he could do about it now.

"This is not an appropriate time or place," his father replied.

Luke smirked, sensing a yes behind the words.

They remained in silence on the walk through the corridors that led to the main dining room. There were extra royal guards present, due to the event, and it reminded Luke of Ben's conflict with his father.

"Have you spoken to Captain Jarnet lately?" Luke said, looking down.

"No."

"He and Ben have been arguing over his career since the start of the semester," Luke said.

"Please tell me he doesn't want his son to enter the guard training academy. That boy couldn't win a fight against a Jawa."

"Hey, we can't all be unstoppable forces of destruction," Luke said. "Ben's smarter than anyone I know."

"He should apply to the officer academy then. I could use more officers with more than one functioning brain cell."

"He wants to go to medical school. He likes the idea of developing new medical technology."

"And his father disapproves?"

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, I don't understand it either. But I guess it's normal. After all, we sometimes argue over stupid things."

"I don't believe I have ever heard the word _normal_ used in connection with either of us."

"Hey, I'm normal," Luke said.

"Make sure you stay that way during the meal," his father said, reaching out to guide him forward as they reached the outer doors. "You will be expected to make conversation with the boy. Ask him about his home world. Perhaps you could tell him about your experiences at the senate."

Luke was expecting this to be boring enough already, without having to weigh it down with political talk, but he didn't say anything. For all he knew, politics was the only thing this person knew how to talk about.

The more Luke considered it, the more nervous he became. A teenage senator would be confident, mature, sophisticated ... everything he wasn't. He lagged behind as they approached the final doors to the dining hall, studying the pattern on the lush red carpet.

He was so preoccupied, he didn't realize his father had stopped in front of him, until he felt his hands reaching out to prevent a collision. He looked up, realizing his thoughts had been picked up over their empathic link.

_What is it?_

Luke looked across and realized there were guards waiting to open the doors. His father obviously did not want to be overheard.

_Nothing. Just nerves._

_You have no reason to be nervous. Stay close, and I will present you._

His father reached up to straighten his head, and then sent some reassurance, causing Luke to relax a notch. His father walked on, and this time, Luke stayed by his side.

The guards opened the doors for them, and Luke stared around at the guests waiting at the table. It seemed they were the last to arrive. The table was black, and appeared to have the center missing. It wasn't until they came closer that Luke realized it was made from transparisteel. It was designed to look like a giant Imperial insignia.

There was a loud clatter as all the current occupants of the table stood up. The man nearest them, who was decked out in naval dress uniform, inclined his head in a military bow.

"Good evening, my lord."

"Governor Sanex," his father said. "You have met my son, Luke Skywalker."

"Of course, a pleasure once again, young Mr Skywalker."

Luke shook his hand, wondering when he was supposed to have met this man. As far as he knew, he'd never seen him before. On the other hand, he did meet a lot of people when he was with his father.

The other guests had quickly lined up in some sort of receiving line. Luke glanced backwards, but his father was right behind him, preventing any possibility of escape.

The next person was elaborately adorned with a headdress and silver lined cloak. Luke guessed that this was the archduke of wherever.

"Your highness," his father said. "May I present my son, Luke Skywalker."

"A great honor to meet you," he said, gripping his hand firmly.

"Likewise, your highness," Luke said, trying hard to sound confident.

His father stepped back, and the archduke took over the introductions, and Luke met his wife, his chief advisor, his brother, and finally they reached his son.

He was of similar height, and his greenish hair was thick and bristly, like a cleaning brush.

"May I present my son and heir, and soon to be Imperial senator, Tyloid Hareldius Lindtsand Fenlius the Sixth."

Luke wondered if he was supposed to remember all those names. For that matter, how did the archduke remember all those names?

"Pleasure to meet you," Luke said, offering his hand.

Tyloid hesitated before accepting it, and then smirked in an odd way. Luke released the handshake, feeling uncomfortable. He looked around for his father, and found he had already left.

The last person, standing on the other side of the empty place next to Tyloid, was the Imperial Grand Vizier, Mas Amedda. Luke had known him since he'd first arrived here, and he used to think the man despised him, especially after that one time he'd careened into him while riding a hoverboard around the corridors. But as he grew older, he'd warmed up a lot. He even gave him a smile this evening.

"Good evening, Luke."

"Hello," Luke nodded.

"I'm glad you could join us."

He then gestured for everyone to sit, and Luke pulled out his chair beside Tyloid. The adults all resumed their conversation around them, leaving Luke sitting in awkward silence. It was time for what his father dismissively referred to as 'pleasantries'. No wonder he'd left with all speed.

"So," Luke said, glancing at Tyloid, "is this your first time on Coruscant?"

"Yes," Tyloid said. "Honestly, I expected a lot more. It's all a bit of an eyesore, really. Too many primitive species. I actually saw a Rodian this morning."

Luke's eyes widened. They'd been a Rodian girl in his class at the Anchorhead school, and she often won the spelling competition.

"Coruscant is a diverse place," Luke said, shortly. "But one thing people have in common is they find being called 'primitive' insulting."

Tyloid laughed as if he was joking.

_Let me out of here_ , Luke thought, staring longingly at the door. So much for being sophisticated and mature.

A serving droid rolled up between them then, enquiring as to what Luke would like for a drink. Luke looked around, seeing everyone else had a glass of wine. Normally he'd order some juice or chilled water, or even milk, but perhaps that wasn't appropriate for this kind of dinner.

"The Toniray isn't half bad," Tyloid said, gesturing to his own glass. "One of the only things they do well on Alderaan."

"I'll try that, then," Luke said to the droid.

Some lights flashed across the droid's chest, and then it said, "I apologise. According to your dining profile, I cannot serve you a drink with alcoholic content. May I suggest a chilled junla juice?"

Tyloid made a snorting noise. "They keep you wrapped in cotton wool, huh?"

"A junla juice is fine, thank you," Luke said, struggling to keep his temper. He'd met other sons and daughters of visiting dignitaries over the years, and none of them had been like this. Normally just knowing the identity of his father was enough to give people pause.

To make things worse, one of the Imperial officials on the other side of the table asked Tyloid a question about Quasher's trading partnership with neighbouring Skayalo, and his entire tone and demeanor changed to one of politeness and respect. What was wrong with him, that someone like Tyloid felt entitled to be rude?

It was a relief when the droids began serving the food. Luke took a small amount of the few things he recognized, knowing from past experience it was better not to leave anything behind. He could always fill up later on.

Tyloid was silent while he was eating, something Luke was grateful for. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

"So why didn't your father stay for dinner?" he asked.

_Because he didn't want to have to talk to people like you_ , Luke thought.

"He probably had something important to take care of," Luke said.

"What does he look like under the mask?'

Luke rolled his eyes. "So, I heard you were going to be a senator," Luke said, spearing a piece of meat on his fork. "I was at the senate today."

"Good for you," Tyloid said, smiling. "So you don't like to talk about your father, huh? Why not?"

Luke looked around, wishing one of the adults would somehow save him from this.

"Why don't we talk about your father?" Luke suggested. "Was he born an archduke, or did he get elected?"

"Elected?" Tyloid said, sounding amused. "They really don't let you out much, do they? His mother is the Empress of Quasher, and he's next in line, so they gave him some silly title to use until he ascends the throne."

"So you are third in line?" Luke asked.

"No, I have an older brother and sister. They're both idiots though. My father isn't the brightest spark either, but even he was smart enough to see that neither of them could ever handle a job in the galactic senate. My brother is too busy seeing how many illegitimate children he can father with his household staff, and my sister has some new project involving a massive labour camp of conquered natives. She's inherited a little too much of our grandmother's brutal streak, but not enough of her brains, unfortunately. The whole thing will end with her being shot in the back if you ask me."

Luke almost choked.

"But me, I'm more savvy. More low key. Politics bores me, but I know how to play the game."

Privately, Luke thought 'low key' were the last words he'd ever use to describe Tyloid. He picked up his knife, and occupied himself with cutting his vegetables into even smaller pieces.

"So how do you keep yourself busy?" Tyloid asked. "I've been told Coruscant has the best nightlife in the galaxy. Where's the best place to pick up high quality girls?"

Luke felt himself blushing again, and Tyloid stared at him in disbelief.

"I don't believe this. You've never even spoken to a girl, have you?"

"I speak to many girls at school," Luke said. "I don't 'pick them up' at nightclubs."

"School? You attend school with the common herd? On my planet, the ruling class have private tutors."

Luke imagined what Ophelia Halifax would say about being referred to as 'the common herd'. "What can I say. I'm low key."

Tyloid smiled then. "So you've at least kissed a girl, then?"

It was moments like this that Luke wished desperately he wore a mask too. Then he wouldn't be quite so transparent.

"I can see I just got here in time," Tyloid added.

Luke put his fork down with a bang. "Excuse me."

No one stopped him as he half-ran for the exit.

* * *

Vader was pacing up and down in a nearby hall of sculpture when he paused beside a bust of an ancient Sith Master. Luke's presence in the Force flared with anger, causing waves to buffet against his shields. A moment ago, he'd been wondering if he was being an overprotective father by remaining in the vicinity instead of leaving his son to figure this out for himself. Now he had an answer.

He reached out along their bond, and Luke responded immediately. A moment later, he came through the entranceway, arms already raised dramatically.

"I can't do this!"

"What happened?" Vader asked, keeping his tone even.

"He's a complete and utter nerf herder! That's what happened!"

"So are most people I have to work with on a daily basis," Vader said, coming closer. "You must learn to deal with them."

"It's different for you," Luke said, turning away in a sulk. "You can be honest without consequences."

"Not always."

"Please don't make me go back there," Luke said. "Say I was sick and had to see a doctor. Better yet, say it's contagious, and I won't be able to see Tyloid ever again."

"Luke, if I made excuses for you every time life put an obstacle in your path, you would never learn to deal with difficult situations."

"At least tell the Emperor that I'm sorry for whatever I did to make him punish me like this."

"This isn't a punishment," Vader said. "It is an honor. Remember, you're doing this for the Empire."

Luke gave a deep sigh. "I'm doing this for you. And you're the only reason I _would_ do this."

"That's good enough," Vader said, reaching up to flatten Luke's tousled hair.

"By the way," Luke said, ducking out from under Vader's hand. "Did you tell the palace droids to never serve me an alcoholic drink?"

"That sounds like something I would do," Vader said. "And given your low tolerance for such things, I am unlikely to be changing it."

Luke was about to protest, when he glanced aside. Vader turned to follow his gaze, and saw Mas Amedda enter the hall. He looked from Luke to Vader and then said, "I have had words with the young Quasher man over his lack of respect. He is most apologetic."

Vader placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, giving him a gentle push in the direction of the Grand Vizier.

"Luke will return to the dinner."

"I will?" Luke said, glancing up.

"Come now," Mas Amedda said, turning and gesturing for Luke to join him. "Walk with me, young man."

Vader gave Luke a nudge along their link, causing him to reluctantly sigh. He moved forward though, joining the Grand Vizier. Once they were out of sight, Vader resumed pacing.

* * *

"I know what you are feeling," the Grand Vizier said, walking slowly. He didn't seem in any hurry to return to the dining room. "I did overhear some of your conversation. You are wondering how someone so lacking in basic class can occupy as high a position as he does."

"Not exactly," Luke said. "He told me he was born into it."

"The Quasher royalty, and I use the term royalty lightly, are descended from pirates and escaped convicts who conquered the planet some centuries ago. It shows. They have none of our breeding or nobility."

Luke smirked. People were always talking about money and breeding around here, as if that said anything about someone's integrity. In Luke's experience, the richest people on Tatooine were also the most immoral. "My 'breeding' is a farming family from Tatooine."

"I'm aware. I'm also aware you are the son of the greatest queen Naboo has ever enjoyed."

"My mother was a great person, but unfortunately I never knew her."

"A shame. We rarely saw eye to eye but I admired her. Everyone did." He stopped to stare out a window, and Luke glanced up.

"Did she enjoy sitting through fancy dinners with annoying people?"

He smiled. "If she didn't, no one would have known. You are more like your father in that regard. Everyone always knows how he is feeling."

Luke smirked. Too true.

"It may help if you understand more about what it is we are doing here," the Grand Vizier continued. "Quasher is a small planet but has significant mining resources. Recently, a new valuable mineral has been discovered on its surface, and this is required by the Empire for vital military construction projects. Projects which will ensure the safety and security of us all. This dinner is the first stage in a process of securing those resources. There are those detractors who believe the Empire would accomplish this by sending in a fleet of Star Destroyers and laying waste to the population in the most brutal manner possible. That is far from the truth."

"Are you talking about people like the princess from Alderaan?" Luke said. "I met her at the senate."

"Yes, she is a prime example of such detractors. Instead, we have welcomed this Quasher delegation to the palace itself, and will treat them as honoured guests. I have already approved the appointment of the youngest son to the position of senator. Tomorrow, the governor will discuss the issue of their mining resources, and propose some favourable terms for a contract with the Empire. Within a few weeks, we will hopefully receive our first shipment."

"What if they don't accept the deal?"

"Let's hope they do. You can play an important role here by representing the new generation of Imperial leadership. A friendly young face who wants to improve the lives of our most vulnerable citizens."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Tyloid cares about that at all."

"You're right. Your task with him will merely be to keep him occupied and out of trouble while he is our guest. That will impress his minders and contribute to their favourable impression of the Empire. We each have a role to play, Luke. It may seem small but it will have wide-reaching consequences."

"I'm not sure I—" Luke broke off as Lev came around the corner, looking left and right. It was late for him to still be on duty. "Lev? Are you okay?"

"Ah, Luke." He straightened and gave Mas Amedda a military bow. "Grand Vizier. Have either of you seen Lord Vader in this area?"

He sounded stressed.

"He's in the sculpture hall," Luke said, walking ahead of Lev and gesturing for him to follow. "I'll show you." Anything to delay having to return to that dinner a little longer.

His father came out of the hall as they approached, and he looked at Luke briefly before his gaze turned on Lev.

"Lieutenant," his father said. "Is there a problem?"

"Sir, your presence has been requested at the military command centre as soon as possible. The Rebels have attacked the Imperial Naval base in the Leryis system, near the Kuat drive yards!"

His father began walking towards the elevators, and Luke followed, curious to learn more.

"Losses?"

"One Star Destroyer and two corvettes were defending the base. One corvette was destroyed, the other boarded and captured. The _Eradicator_ was badly damaged and forced to retreat into hyperspace. She has just arrived in system."

"What has become of the base?"

"We don't know, sir. Two Star Destroyers are rushing to defend it, but they may be too late."

Luke could sense his father was becoming increasingly angry as they entered the elevator.

"Who was in command of this disaster?"

"Captain Yahza was in command of the _Eradicator_ , sir. He has provided senior command with some recordings of the battle, which he claims prove there was nothing he could do. General Jerel is already planning our retaliation in the command center."

There was a corridor that linked the Imperial Palace to the military headquarters. When they reached the junction past the security checkpoint, Lev glanced back at Luke and then moved to prevent him going further. His father had already walked on ahead.

"Luke, why don't you go and relax? This will take all night."

"I want to see the battle recordings," Luke said, pulling away from Lev's grip. This was the one aspect of his father's job that he was actually interested in.

"Trust me, Luke, you do not want to see this," Lev insisted, casting a nervous glance down the corridor. "Besides, the recordings are classified and you don't have clearance."

"But—"

His father stopped walking and turned back to stare at them.

"Luke may accompany me if he wishes," he said.

Luke brightened and made to go after him, but Lev still held him back.

"Sir, Captain Yahza is about to arrive at the command center to make his report."

His father was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, finally. "Luke, return to the dinner. I believe you have a job to do."

He turned and walked onwards, leaving Luke and Lev alone. Luke frowned, sensing a conspiracy.

"You heard your father," Lev said, firmly.

"Okay, okay," Luke said, raising his hands. "No need to get uptight."

"I'm sorry, Luke," Lev said, averting his gaze. "This is a very bad situation for all concerned."

"Well, I hope you get some sleep," Luke said.

"So do I," Lev said, grinning at last. "But I'm not counting on it. How is the dinner with that Quasher delegation?"

"Dragging like a protocol droid with a broken leg. I'd rather go back to the ship hangar."

"Well, I doubt your father will notice if you do, and the Grand Vizier will assume you are still with your father," Lev said, winking. "Not that I'm endorsing playing hooky from a diplomatic dinner."

"I'll blame you if anyone catches me," Luke said, smirking.

He turned to leave and was careful not to look back as he followed the corridors towards the palace. Once he turned a corner, he flattened himself against the wall, and then peeked slowly around the edge. As he suspected, Lev had gone.

Luke was about to go back, when he hesitated for a moment, considering. Was this really a good idea? If Lev caught him, his friend would think he'd deceived him, and he'd lose his trust. If his father caught him ... seventeen or not, he'd be grounded for disobeying an order.

On the other hand, he was itching with curiosity and dying to see the battle recordings. He'd be careful to stay hidden and he wouldn't stay long. Just a few minutes. That would be enough to satisfy his interest. Besides, his father had said he should learn more about how the Empire was run. Here was a perfect opportunity.

The entrance to the military command center was guarded, but he entered just as two officers came out, and was not stopped. Either the guards recognized him, or they were half asleep and didn't see him.

There was a small group of officers in the foyer, talking in serious tones. They were too busy to notice him, and Luke walked quietly over to the stairwell. He'd been here a few times, and he knew the main command room was in front of him. If he wanted to avoid being seen, the best idea was to sneak up to the balcony level, so he could spy from above.

When he stepped onto the upper level, he heard voices down below. Time to be extra careful ... if anyone should look up and see him, there could be trouble. He slowly crept forward, and then crouched down, peering through a gap between two barrier panels.

There was a giant holoprojector on the floor below, showing red holograms of ships and planets. The walls were lined with hundreds of computer screens. His gaze was attracted by the largest one, which was currently showing static-ridden recordings of a space battle. That must be it.

Luke rose up on his knees, enjoying the view.

* * *

Vader felt his mood darken by the minute as he watched the battle recordings. A lethal combination of incompetent pilots and equally incompetent commanders.

"X-Wings," Vader observed.

"Yes, my lord," the general said. "Much faster than Y-wings."

Vader watched the lead X-Wing launch torpedoes, hitting the corvette's main bridge. It was followed up by its wingmates, and as they lifted away, the corvette erupted into flame, breaking apart.

"Sirs."

Vader turned and saw two stormtroopers had entered, escorting a navy captain between them.

"Captain Yahza," the general said, "we've been anxiously awaiting your report."

"I came as quickly as I could, sir," the captain said, walking forward. "I had to ensure the _Eradicator_ was safe."

Vader felt his mood reduce even further—the man sounded remarkably relaxed, considering the situation. He should be on his knees by now, begging for his life. Anyone would think he was reporting a victory, rather than a dismal failure. He had indeed let his reputation slip too far. That was about to change.

"Lord Vader," the captain said, bowing in greeting.

"Captain," Vader replied, casually.

* * *

Luke strained hard to hear what was being said. He leaned over the railing, starting to wish he'd hidden somewhere down below. The captain was making his report, saying something about a damaged shield generator. His father stood listening, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Luke's eyes began to wander, and he noticed a monitor lit up with the image of a TIE and X-Wing engaged in an intense dogfight. Now this was what he'd come to see! He watched happily for a few seconds, and then glanced back at his father.

Something was wrong ... the captain's hands were wrapped around his throat, and he was gagging like he had swallowed a lemon whole. But no one was making any move to help him.

Luke frowned in confusion—then jumped in shock as he felt someone grab his arm.

"Luke!"

He whirled around, and found himself looking at Lev.

"Go! Quickly!"

He pointed in the direction of the exit, but Luke looked back down below.

"Wait ... what's he doing?!" The captain fell to his knees, and Luke had a horrible realization. "Oh burning stars, he's killing him! NO! Fath—"

His shout was cut off as Lev put a hand over his mouth and dragged him backwards. Luke struggled, but he didn't manage to break Lev's grip until they were at the top of the stairwell.

"I've got to stop him," Luke said, rushing for the stairs. He ran down them, two at a time, with Lev yelling at him to stop.

At the bottom, he ran headlong into two guards.

"Hold him!" Lev called, skidding up behind. "Take him into the corridor."

"Yes, sir."

"No!" Luke shouted, pushing against them with all his strength. Despite his best efforts, he was forcibly dragged, kicking and shouting, until he was in the corridor outside the entrance to IMH. Lev followed behind, and then ordered the guards to give them some privacy. The heavy doors sealed shut behind them.

Luke collapsed against the wall, his head spinning. He finally looked up at Lev, feeling betrayed in more ways than one.

"How could you?!" he said, almost shaking with anger. "How could you let that happen?"

"Luke, that man's fate was sealed as soon as he abandoned the base and entered hyperspace. If your father didn't do it, he would have been court martialed and executed anyway. You shouldn't have to see it ... that's why I told you not to come! Why didn't you listen?"

"What, so you can shelter me?" Luke said. "Hide the truth? You make me sick! You, Lieutenant Hicks, Commander Julius … all of you just look the other way! You know this isn't right!"

Lev looked rattled at his words. "What power do you imagine I have, Luke?"

"You could have let me talk to him!"

"There's no reasoning with your father when he's angry! You should know that by now."

"I could have stopped him. He would have listened to me! I could have saved him ... I could have ..." Luke felt his eyes fill with tears, seeing the image of the man falling to the floor, once again.

"This isn't your fault," Lev said, helping him up off the floor. "Your father makes his own choices."

"Why does he make them so wrong?"

"I don't know. But you will make your own choices. Better choices. That's why we—"

Lev broke off at the sound of the doors sliding open behind him. The Sith Lord in question stepped out, and was about to walk straight past, but he stopped when he saw them.

"I am leaving to join the efforts to hunt down these Rebels," he said to Lev. "Advise the flagship to wait for my arrival."

"Yes, sir," Lev said, his voice not bearing any sign of the tension.

Luke flinched as his father turned his gaze on him.

"I distinctly remember telling you to return to the dinner," his father said. "Why are you here?"

"Murderer!" Luke spat. He glared at his father for a moment, feeling an uncontrollable anger rising up in his chest. When it became too much to bear, he pushed past Lev and ran off down the corridor.

* * *

Vader was left staring after Luke's quickly retreating form, until his son disappeared around a corner.

"I take it he witnessed Captain Yahza's demise."

"Unfortunately, yes, my lord. He made a show of leaving, but sneaked back when I wasn't looking."

"No matter," Vader said. "He is too innocent for his own good. It is about time he understood the reality of command."

For a moment, he remembered how lacking in innocence his former self had been at Luke's age. He already knew what it meant to kill someone to serve the greater good. He knew the reality of war. He had done his best to shelter Luke. To give his son the childhood he'd never had. But perhaps he'd gone too far.

"Sir, should I see about informing the _Eradicator's_ crew?"

Vader turned his attention back to the lieutenant. "Yes. Tell them their late captain was a cowardly, inept fool, and the average intelligence of Imperial officers has doubled, simply by his death. I will expect better from them in the future."

"Yes, my lord."

Vader walked on, planning his next move. He should make a brief report to the Emperor, and then depart as soon as possible. There was no time to smooth things over with Luke, if he could even find the boy to begin with. It was of no great concern. By the time he returned, his son would likely have forgotten the incident entirely.

* * *


	4. The Speedsters

Luke rubbed his eyes as he slowly became aware of a flickering light in his face. A morning news show filled his holovid, the soothing voices of the hosts describing another beautiful day ahead in Imperial City. The time stamp scrolling across the bottom indicated it was an hour before his alarm would normally go off.

As he sat up, he found he was still fully dressed in his formal dinner clothes from the night before. He'd come back to his room and slumped into a bean bag, finally falling into an exhausted sleep sometime after midnight. He started to put his head down, not wanting to face the day, but then the memories of the night before came rushing back.

The nauseous feeling in his stomach returned, and Luke made a mental note to skip breakfast. He could still see Captain Yahza's face as he gasped for his last breath. It was ironic—the more you tried to forget an image, the more you remembered it.

He was glad his father had left last night without attempting to talk about this. The last thing he wanted to hear were excuses about being too young to understand, or worse, 'it was necessary to save lives'.

Luke rolled onto the floor and buried his head in his arms, trying to forget what he'd seen. His father's flair for choking people was a galactic legend, one he'd never been able to escape. But it had never been so real before. Only a shadowy notion in the back of his mind, one that he tried hard to ignore. It was a frightening thought, that his father killed people so casually. If Lev made him angry one day, would he kill him? Was being his son of any significance, or could he cross the line one day, and find himself lying on the floor, gasping for air?

Luke lifted his head and stared at his hands, dimly lit in the light from the holovid screen. Did he also possess the ability to choke people with the Force? If so, perhaps there was some way to remove these Force powers ... maybe he could ask his doctor. He would willingly undergo an operation if it meant he could be free of this burden.

At the moment, he wouldn't even care if he lost the mental bond with his father as a result.

The morning show changed from a weather update to the 'galactic news', and as usual, there were scenes of Imperial Pride parades and talk of growing economies and record low crime levels. No mention of the attack on the Imperial base last night.

Luke dragged himself off the floor, deciding he was better off getting showered and dressed, and then working on the speeder bike until it was time to leave for school. Just a bit more work, and it would be ready for a test drive.

Working on the bike was a good distraction, although nothing could push the sick feeling in his gut away entirely. Two hours later, Luke was just using a wrench on the second-to-last engine bolt when he heard the sound of Threepio's servos entering the workroom. Artoo was resting on the floor beside him, passing him tools as needed.

"Good morning, Master Luke! The Grand Vizier has requested you meet with him. He is waiting in his office now. I did inform him you were due to leave for school shortly, but he said this wouldn't take long."

Luke groaned. Perhaps he should ride into the Grand Vizier's office on his hoverboard, to see if perhaps they could go back to the days when he considered him an annoyance.

"Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes," Luke said. "Artoo … would you mind getting my school backpack? It's in my room."

Artoo whistled and rolled out of the room, and Luke could soon hear him arguing with Threepio on their way to the elevator. He put the last bolt into place, and then found he needed the larger wrench. Sliding out from under the bike, he felt around for the tray of tools, and found it was just out of his reach.

He was just about to stand up to get it, when he hesitated. Again, he stretched out his hand toward the wrench. Nothing. Luke closed his eyes, concentrating. It rattled slightly, and then jumped into his hand.

* * *

The Grand Vizier's office was in a mid-level of the Imperial Palace, before the floors where the elevator entrances to the spires were. This was a busy floor of government business, and Luke buttoned his school blazer as he walked past a woman who was a deputy governor in one of the Outer Rim regions. She smiled at him, and Luke nodded in response. His late night and early start were catching up with him, and he was hoping he'd have time to stop on the way to school to pick up a frozen caf.

The royal guards led him through into the office immediately, and Luke walked through the elaborately dedicated ante-room into the main meeting lounge. As soon as he saw who was waiting on one of the couches, he looked aside, groaning.

"Good morning, Luke," Mas Amedda said, coming over from his desk. "You remember Mr Fenlius."

Tyloid stood up. "I'm sorry if I said some inappropriate things last night. It was very rude of me."

He sounded so apologetic and humble, it was hard to believe this was the same person. Luke swallowed, forcing himself to behave in the way his aunt and uncle would have expected.

"That's okay. I was … I was a little too sensitive."

"Excellent," Mas Amedda said, clapping his hands together. "So I'm sure you'd be happy to show Mr Fenlius some of the sights of Imperial City today."

"I have school," Luke said. "Perhaps this afternoon."

"I was just telling the Grand Vizier I'd love to tour your school," Tyloid said. "I'm interested in improving the education system on Quasher, so seeing how a typical school works on Coruscant would be most educational. Pardon the pun."

Luke had to fight not to roll his eyes. "Well … all right. But my school isn't typical."

"It will be a good place to start," Mas Amedda said. "I'm sure Mr Felius will enjoy meeting some of your classmates." He gestured for both of them to leave. "Go on now. I'll look forward to hearing back from you later, as to how it all went."

As soon as they were in the elevator, Tyloid's politician facade dropped and he returned to a more casual tone.

"So what's so atypical about your school, then?" he asked.

"It's private and the classes are small and specialised. The students are mostly the sons and daughters of government and business leaders." Luke's hand hovered over the buttons, thinking quickly. He didn't want to take Tyloid in one of his own speeders. Or even take him to the private hangar where they were kept. The other option was one of the standard Imperial government speeders in the hangar near Lev's office. That would have to do.

"Honestly, I think you're going to get bored very quickly," Luke said, as the elevator rushed down to the lower levels.

"I'm already bored," Tyloid said. "Can't get much worse."

As soon as they entered the hangar, Luke walked to the nearest speeder and tossed his school pack in the back.

"Wait," Tyloid said, smirking. "You're going to pilot? You can't afford a chauffeur?"

Luke rolled his eyes and gestured to the passenger door. "Get in."

"Where are the VIP flags?" Tyloid said, pointing at the empty flag slots on the front corners.

"They're in the glove compartment," Luke said. "I can put them back in ... if you want to get blown out of the sky by some bounty hunter looking for an easy pay day."

Tyloid looked like he wasn't sure whether Luke was joking or not. He did eventually climb into the passenger side, though. Luke revved the engine and then took off before Tyloid even had the door closed.

"So who did you have to bribe to get a license?" Tyloid asked, as Luke weaved around the slower morning traffic.

Luke smirked. "Who says I have a license?"

To his surprise, Tyloid actually chuckled at his joke. He was just starting to think maybe it was hasty to write this guy off entirely, but then his guest pointed out the window.

"Is that where they execute people?"

Luke glanced down at the square in front of the Imperial City detention centre, overseen by a statue of the Emperor. A group of six stormtroopers was marching across it. He felt queasy again and looked away.

"I try not to think about that kind of thing." Saying that out loud made him feel worse. Isn't that exactly what he'd accused Lev of doing yesterday? Burying his head in the sand?

"You remind me of my older brother," Tyloid said. "He's got no stomach for brutality either. Given what I've heard about your father, I thought you'd be more like my sister."

"I'm not like my father," Luke said, shortly. After a moment of silence, he glanced at Tyloid. "Does your sister kill people?"

"Not directly, but some days I wouldn't be surprised if she did. A few weeks ago, a mine blew up and hundreds of Quashi were trapped inside, and she just ordered it sealed up and paved over."

"Quashi?"

"The Quasher natives. They're primitive, but they're built for mining. They naturally live in underground villages, but they do need to come up to the surface. Where are we going? Is that your school?"

Luke was diving down towards an apartment building. "We're picking up my friend, Ben. You want to shift into the back?"

"No."

Luke sighed as he switched off the engine. He climbed out of the speeder and waved to Ben, who was waiting at the entrance to the building. He came hurrying over.

"Didn't recognize you," Ben said. "Since when did you fly these ugly clunkers?"

"Since I have an important passenger," Luke said. "Sorry, you'll have to get in the back. I'll explain on the way."

Ben raised an eyebrow, but climbed in regardless. Luke returned to the pilot's seat, and pulled the door closed.

"Tyloid, meet Ben. Ben, meet Tyloid—his father is the archduke of Quasher, and he's staying at the palace. He's going to be a senator."

"Hi," Ben said. "So you're coming to school with us?"

Tyloid didn't reply. He stared at Luke with a vague expression of disgust as they rose into the air.

"You're actually friends with a _commoner_?"

Luke sighed. He really needed to learn to trust his first impressions.

As they came in to land at the school, Luke was just about ready to test the speeder's emergency ejection seats on Tyloid. He'd continued to ignore Ben, and Ben was clearly too nervous of their relative power imbalance to attempt to speak to him again. When Luke turned off the engine, Tyloid pointed through the front windshield.

"Who's that girl?"

Luke glanced up, seeing it was Ophelia and various followers.

"Ophelia Halifax," Ben said, in a slightly awed voice.

"She's not a commoner," Tyloid remarked. "You can tell by her posture. Is she single?"

Luke stared at her, having a sudden idea.

"Uh … wait here," he said. "I'll go talk to her. She might like to meet you."

He had to sprint to catch up to her before she made it to the elevators, but she turned as she saw him approach.

"Hey, Ophelia," Luke said. "Remember that time I extracted you from that boring party you were forced to attend at the palace?"

She couldn't quite stop herself from smiling, and she quickly looked away. When she glanced back, her expression had returned to her usual cool mask.

"Go on," she said.

"Some royal delegation from Quasher is here. The Grand Vizier asked me to give the son a tour of the school and he also wants to visit some of those places you and your friends like. You know, the private nightclubs for wealthy and important people."

Ophelia nodded. "I know what you mean. Does he have a title?"

"Uh … I think they called him 'right honourable' when they introduced him?"

She didn't look impressed.

"Is he tolerable?"

"Um ..." Luke made a shrugging gesture. "Maybe?!"

Ophelia rolled her eyes, and then snapped her fingers at one of her friends. One of the quieter girls stepped forward. Luke smiled at her, and she smiled back in a sweet way.

"Armith, go and take this person to reception and get him a visitor pass," she said. "He can sit with you in the morning classes and we'll give him a tour at lunch."

"Wait, where am I going to sit then?" another girl asked.

"You can sit with Jonos."

This resulted in a more complex discussion about seating arrangements, from which Luke quickly backed away. He returned to the speeder, and found Tyloid was already climbing out.

"You'll appreciate the company of these people a lot more than Ben's and mine," Luke said. "Ophelia is the daughter of a Grand Moff. They'll look after you."

Tyloid nodded, gesturing at Armith, who was approaching across the landing pad. "She's all right, too. You should have said this morning you had decent girls here."

"Just don't make me regret introducing you," Luke said.

* * *

"I don't understand it," Ben said, looking across the cafeteria.

"There's a rare situation," Luke said, idly picking at his lunch. His chin was resting on his hand.

"He's a class one nerfherder, yet everyone wants to meet him and be his friend. Look at all those girls flocking around him ... what's wrong with them?"

"I guess they recognize power when they see it," Luke said.

"They don't do that to you."

"Maybe they can recognize the son of a heartless killer when they see him, too," Luke suggested.

Ben looked back, concerned. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"A fight with your father?"

" _Nothing_ ," Luke repeated. He didn't want to make Ben any more afraid of his father than he already was. "Anyway, my father's not here. He's dealing with some Rebel attack."

"Can I come over, then?"

"Sure. We can take my new speeder bike for a test drive."

"Your new speeder bike?" Ben smirked. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

"Not the one you reversed into?! That was a piece of junk!"

"That's the one."

Ben's eyes suddenly grew wide. Luke didn't need to turn around to know that Ophelia was approaching. Even without the Force, Ben's expression had Ophelia written all over it.

"Luke."

Luke turned.

"I just wanted to express my heartfelt sympathies," she said. She sounded sincere, too.

"Oh," Luke said, wondering if she'd heard what happened last night. "Well ... thanks."

"I had to entertain an Evexian princess last month. Apparently she's my cousin, but I deny everything. She reminded me of a poisonous insect ... but even she was nothing compared to this ... _toad_."

"You mean Tyloid," Luke said, catching on. "What rude thing did he say now? The Grand Vizier made him apologise to me this morning over some things he said last night."

"Nothing rude, per say," Ophelia said. "He just imagines he is somehow worthy of breathing the same air as me. Just because he's the youngest son of a suspect royal family on an insignificant planet. How did they get an invite to the palace, anyway?"

Luke wondered if the information about the mining resources was considered a state secret. Probably better not to risk it.

"I guess they have something the Emperor wants," Luke suggested.

"Then the Empire needs to hurry up and take it," Ophelia said.

"So does this mean you're backing out?" Luke said, worried this meant no more speeder bike test drive.

"No, we'll take him to the City Sunset lounge," Ophelia said. "Five minutes in there, and he'll soon understand exactly where he ranks in the scheme of things. You can join us if you want."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Luke said. "I have … something important to work on."

She nodded. "We'll make sure he gets back to the palace safely."

"Thanks, Ophelia."

As she walked away, Luke had to wave his hand in front of Ben's face, causing his friend to start. "Sounds like we're on, bud."

* * *

"Are you sure this is safe?" Ben asked.

They were standing on the paved square, not far from the giant Emperor statue that stood in front of the Imperial palace. Luke had pushed the speeder bike out of the palace via a service exit, with the assistance of Lieutenant Hicks, who had the right security privileges to open the vehicle bay door. He'd insisted Luke take a safety helmet though, and he'd grabbed an extra one for Ben.

"Of course it's safe," Luke said, tossing Ben the second helmet.

"Then why do I need a safety helmet?" Ben asked.

"Because it looks good," Luke said. He pulled on his own, which was black with a blue line.

He straddled the bike, and ran through the warm up sequence. It seemed his hours spent fixing the engine this morning had paid off, as a healthy humming sound filled the air.

"Jump on," Luke said, shifting forward to make room for Ben.

His friend joined him, and Luke pushed the accelerator halfway in. They shot off so fast, they were pushed backwards with the momentum.

"Woooooo!" Luke yelled, as he watched the speedometer become a blur of changing numbers. He gripped the steering controls and headed for a ground traffic pit.

They sped down the street, easily overtaking the slower landspeeders. Luke felt the wind against his helmet, and pressed the accelerator down further. He could fly away from the palace, from the memory of the dying captain, from all the bad things he tried to ignore. He could speed away from Luke Skywalker, son of a Sith Lord and boy with a future, and become a random speed-freak with too much energy to burn.

As they began to head out of central Imperial City, Ben tapped him on the shoulder. Luke looked in the mirror, and saw Ben pointing behind them. Luke slowed and took a quick glance over his shoulder. Some kind of droid-powered traffic control vehicle was following ... if it got close enough to identify him, it could mean a very large fine.

Luke accelerated.

"Luke! Are you crazy?!" Ben yelled.

"I can lose it, just hold tight!"

They twisted and turned, and Luke took every shortcut he could find. It remained behind them the whole way. Luke swung the bike around another sharp corner, and entered a narrow alleyway.

"I can't see it," Ben said.

Luke slowed slightly, hoping it had finally abandoned the chase. He glanced behind. Suddenly a green streak of light went flying past his shoulder.

"Ahh!" Luke wrenched the bike sideways, nearly throwing Ben off. "It's in front of us!"

Luke expected it to take a scan of their faces, but instead, more stun bolts came spewing out of it. They leaned sideways, barely dodging it.

"Luke! Get us out of here!" Ben yelled.

Luke twisted right, feeling another stun bolt fly past his left leg.

"Hang on!" Luke said, plunging the bike into a nearby doorway.

"Where the heck are you going?!"

Luke wondered that himself. They were in some kind of tunnel—the roar of the speeder's engine echoed off the durasteel walls. It spiraled downwards, taking them further and further below the border of Imperial City.

"Hopefully, this will lead out into another street and we'll lose it!" Luke said.

"It better, or we're dead!" Ben yelled.

Luke turned a corner, and found himself flying straight into a dead end. He jammed the brakes and swung the speeder around. The stabilizers whined in protest, and they were jolted forward.

"Did it follow?" Luke whispered, rubbing his head. Lucky for those helmets. He gazed around, realizing that if it had, they would be cornered down here.

"Uh, Luke?" Ben said.

Luke turned back to look at his friend. "What?"

Ben didn't answer. Instead, he pointed down.

Luke glanced at the floor. It was blackened and cracked like someone had set off a thermal detonator after a spice deal gone wrong. And the cracks appeared to be growing ...

"Let's get out of here!" Ben said. "It's about to cave—"

Ben's sentence was cut off as the floor under them disintegrated. Luke tried to accelerate, but with nothing but air below them, it was useless. His stomach felt like it was going into his throat as they entered free fall. At the last moment, the speeder's repulsor lifts kicked in, and their descent slowed. They hit the ground with a bump.

Luke gazed around in amazement. They were in the service tunnels.

The service tunnels ran all under Imperial City, and were used by engineers to access everything from sewer pipes to the city's water supply. Luke brought the bike to a stop, and gazed around the vast expanse. Odd bits of rubbish blew past, and the wind whistled eerily around.

"For star's sake, Luke!" Ben said, trying to catch his breath. He was staring up at the jagged hole in the ceiling through which they'd come.

"Well, there's one good thing," Luke said. "That traffic droid won't be finding us down here!"

"Yeah," Ben agreed, stepping off the bike and wobbling shakily on his feet. He sat down on the concrete. "Solid ground! I missed you!"

Luke climbed off the bike, looking up and down the tunnel. "I wonder which is the best way to go? I'd hate to get lost down here. They probably stretch for half the planet."

"They say always follow a wall," Ben said. He tilted his head, listening. "Can you hear something?"

Luke fell silent, listening. "The wind?"

"No, not that. It sounds like someone shouting ..."

Luke listened again. "You're right," he said. "Come on!"

Luke jumped back on the speeder bike, restarting the engine.

"Luke, it could be dangerous ... who knows what kind of people live down here."

"Come on, Ben!" Luke said, impatiently.

His friend reluctantly climbed on and they followed the faint sound. Their tunnel joined a much larger one, which rose up and down in giant concrete waves. As they came over a rise, Luke saw a person dressed entirely in silver, complete with a green-streaked racing helmet. He—at least, Luke assumed it was a he—was crouched beside his bike, which appeared to have broken down.

Luke drove slowly, sidling up beside the hapless biker. He pushed the visor up on his own helmet. "Need some help?"

The biker's helmet muffled his reply. Luke could only make out the word 'hell'.

"Sorry?" Luke said.

The biker stood up, and took off his helmet. He was human, looked about twenty-five, and had streak-dyed black hair.

"Stupid hellspit piece of poodoo! Won't start ... can't figure out what's the matter with the thing."

"I can take a look," Luke said.

"Yeah, he's good at fixing things," Ben added.

The biker looked skeptical. "If you want alcohol, spice, or credits in exchange ... I haven't got any."

"All I'd want are some directions to get out of here," Luke said.

"Sure, I can do that."

Luke turned off his own bike's engine, and took a careful look at the broken down vehicle. It was little more than an engine with a seat, and appeared to have been modified to make as much noise as possible. Luke lay down on his back and shuffled under the engine.

"Hey, Ben, can you pass me the tools? They're in the storage compartment."

Ben complied, and the biker stood nearby, watching Luke carefully.

"Just don't make it worse, buddy—"

"He won't," Ben said. "If Luke can't fix it, it can't be fixed."

"Luke, huh? And you're Ben?"

Ben nodded.

"I'm Pike. Haven't seen the two of you in these parts before. Looking to join the races? Or just sight-seeing?"

"Actually, we're here by accident," Ben explained. "We fell through the roof, a few tunnels back. We were trying to outrun a traffic droid."

Pike laughed. "I eat those things for breakfast. Got a whole collection of them at home."

Luke rubbed some dripping syn-oil off his face, and shifted a cluster of wires aside. He was pretty sure there was a loose connection in the ignition sequence ... everything else had checked out fine. He unhinged another panel, and a couple of wires fell down in front of him.

"Found your problem," Luke said. He stripped some of the insulating coat from the wires, and splayed them back together. "Loose connection. I can fix it temporarily, but you might need to get it replaced."

"Fine, pal, whatever you say."

Luke replaced the panels, and shuffled back out. He stood up, brushing himself off. Pike went over to the bike, and flicked a few switches, lighting up the control panel. He squeezed the left hand grip, and the engine roared and rumbled in a healthy display of power. Pike turned to them, a wide grin filling his face.

"Thanks bud! I owe you."

Luke climbed back on his own bike. "Just show us how to get out of this maze," Luke said.

"Will do," Pike said. "Nice bike you got there, by the way. What is it?"

"It's a classic," Luke explained. "Pre-clone wars."

"You found it in a junk heap?"

"Ah ... I guess you could say that," Luke said, sharing an amused glance with Ben.

Pike however, wasn't listening. He restarted the engine, revving it a couple of times. "Try and keep up with me," he yelled over the noise.

Luke tried to think of a smart reply, but Pike had already taken off. Luke followed quickly in pursuit, causing Ben, who had barely finished securing his helmet, to slam backwards. He really had to push it to keep up with the newly fixed bike, but Luke was determined to impress Pike. The stabilizers whined as he took yet another turn without braking.

His heart was beating with the thrill of it by the time they emerged out into fresh air. Pike stopped his bike, and waited for Luke to dismount.

"You're a speed-freak like the rest of us, huh?"

Luke nodded, taking off his helmet. He grinned at Ben, who was looking slightly green.

"Hey Pike! What took ya so long?"

Luke turned in the direction of the call, and saw an entire group of bikers, dressed similarly to Pike. They were sitting on the top of a rubbish dumpster, sharing food wrapped in newspaper, with their bikes resting in a heap nearby.

"Sithhell bike broke down," Pike explained. "These guys here helped me out."

The bikers took one look at Luke and Ben, and began to snigger. Luke frowned, wondering what they found so funny.

"Don't mind them," Pike said. "Come on over."

Luke followed Pike, dragging Ben behind him.

There were two women, a Twi'lek and a Cerean. The other two men were human; one had most of his hair shaved off, the other one had it dyed stark white.

"Meet Woni and Yilu," Pike explained, gesturing at the guys. "And the girls are Bel and Fushna."

Luke nodded at them. "I'm Luke, and this is Ben," he said, trying to sound older.

"Nice to meet you," Ben said.

Some of them laughed at Ben's accent. "You from Imperial City, kid?" Woni asked.

Ben looked at Luke, and then nodded.

"Do your parents know you're down here?" Bel asked.

"Do yours?" Luke said, feeling his temper rise.

"Leave them alone, you nerfs," Pike said. He turned back to Luke. "We'll have to race you sometime. See what that bike of yours can really do."

"Sure," Luke said. "When do you race?"

"There's one on tonight," Pike said, gesturing around at the vast array of swoops and speeder bikes resting down the street. "The local dives sponsor them. Five hundred credits for the winner, three hundred for second, a hundred for third. The race starts here, and loops around through the service tunnels. Are you in?"

"Sure!" Luke said.

Ben gave him a look of disapproval. "No way! Luke, your father would kill me if you were hurt!"

"Hey, this isn't _podracing_ ," Pike said. "We only have minor injuries. The occasional broken limb or concussion. At least stay and watch—if you do, you'll see us beat the Novas ... they're a bunch of nerfs who think they're a biker gang."

"Hey, maybe you two could be our groupies," Woni said. "You could wave flags and yell 'Go Speedsters!'. That would really annoy the Novas."

"The Speedsters?" Ben asked, struggling not to laugh.

"Yep, that's us," Pike said. He turned back to the others. "Come on, let's move into Brocks." He took a glance back at Luke. "You coming?"

"What is Brocks?" Luke asked.

"A dive ... but it's classier than a lot of the dives around here. The glasses are sometimes clean."

"We're underage," Ben said.

Pike laughed. "The bartenders are underage," he said, helping Fushna off the ground.

The Speedsters moved on, not looking back to see if they were following. Luke shared a look with Ben.

"I'll be fine," Luke said, finally. "Besides, my father isn't home. He doesn't have to know."

"He _always_ knows, Luke. If he doesn't, he'll find out."

Ben looked around, as if scared he was being watched right now.

"I don't care what the Dark Lord of Hypocrisy thinks," Luke said, frowning.

"I know you don't. But I do ... he already hates me."

"It's not personal. He hates everyone." Luke could see Ben's point, however. After the incident he'd witnessed the night before, he wouldn't put it past his father to hurt Ben. His father would overlook cruising around on a speeder bike, and perhaps he'd even overlook entering a bar. But he wouldn't be so understanding if he was injured in a race.

There would be other opportunities. He'd come back without Ben at a later date.

"Okay," Luke said. "No racing. But can we at least see the bar? We'd never get into one in Imperial City."

"Okay, but don't drink anything," Ben said. "Your driving is dangerous enough as it is."

Luke smirked. "It's fast—not dangerous."

"There's a difference?"

The dingy cantina was in the street around the corner. Once inside, they quickly lost the Speedsters, as the bikers went off into their own booth. Luke and Ben stood in a corner, next to a blaring droid jukebox, and gazed around at the multitude of aliens that filled every dark corner. The place stunk of spice and alcohol.

Ben tapped him to get his attention, and pointed over towards the other side of the bar. "I wonder if those people are the Novas."

"The who?" Luke asked.

"The Speedsters rival biker gang."

Luke shifted his gaze to where Ben had pointed, and saw another bizarrely dressed group of bikers. Their helmets were marked with a blood red stripe. Luke watched them curiously. They kept looking in the Speedster's direction, and then laughing loudly.

He took a step closer to get a better view, and then found himself on the receiving end of a violent shove. He fell sideways into a couple of startled bar patrons, causing their drinks to tip all down his shirt.

"Stay out of my way!"

Luke glared angrily—but his assailant had already moved on. It was another Nova.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

"Sure," Luke said, trying to squeeze the liquid out of his shirt.

Luke froze as he heard a low growl behind him. Ben stepped back in fear, and Luke whirled around to behold the pair whose drinks he was squeezing out of his shirt.

One was a scruffy human, probably a smuggler, but his companion was a full-grown Wookiee.

"Uh ... sorry," Luke said, staring up in fear. He took a nervous step backwards, but the Wookiee suddenly reached forward, grabbing his arm.

"Ah!" Luke shouted. He turned desperately to the human, who was watching with an amused grin. "Hey, can you get your friend off me?!"

"Ah, let him go, Chewie. He's just a kid."

Despite the situation, Luke frowned. _Kid?_

The Wookiee, Chewie, launched into a long round of growls and roars, and the smuggler appeared to be listening. Finally, he turned to Luke.

"Chewie here says you saved a cousin of his once."

Luke was confused. "I don't remember saving any ..." He paused as one particular memory resurfaced. "... you mean that Wookiee the Lerrod's were holding prisoner was your cousin?!"

Chewie nodded, growling.

"But ... but how did you know it was me?" Luke asked, confused. "That was five years ago! I've never seen you before."

"Wookiees never forget a smell," the smuggler explained.

"I don't stink!"

"To him you do. His cousin probably told him to watch out for some kid who smelt like Corellian brandy."

"Well, if I saved your cousin," Luke said. "Can I have my arm back?"

Chewie obliged, and Luke stepped back, brushing it off.

"So what's a kid like you doing in a place like this anyhow?" the smuggler asked. "Where's your babysitter?"

"I am not a kid!" Luke said, angry. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Han Solo. And you've met Chewie."

Chewie roared in response.

"Chewie says he wants to repay his cousin's debt to you."

"It's okay," Luke said, raising his hands. "I don't need anything."

Chewie growled, then said something to Han.

"He says you're an orphan," Han said.

"I'm not," Luke said. "I was then ... but not anymore. I live with my father."

"See Chewie? He's happy. No more strays—the _Falcon_ is not an orphanage."

The Wookiee roared in response.

"Chewie! I mean it this time!"

Luke felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Luke, we better get out of here," Ben said.

"Just back away slowly," Luke agreed.

Han and Chewie were too busy arguing to notice their departure. Outside the door, they nearly bumped into a person dressed in a striped lime green and orange bathrobe.

"The end is coming," he told them, earnestly. "We must all be prepared. The end is coming! We're having a gathering tonight, you're most welcome to attend. The only place to learn the truth. Comet Temple, 549 Biosil building, coordinates 355 dash 2612."

"Uh ... thanks," Ben said.

Luke grinned, pulling Ben on.

"This neighborhood is crazy," Ben said, shaking his head.

"I know," Luke said. "It's starting to grow on me."

* * *

They travelled a few blocks out of the neighborhood in order to find someplace to eat. Even then, the napkins appeared to have been recycled, and the windows were covered in wanted posters. The food tasted about the same as it did in Imperial City, however, and that was the important part.

When it began to get dark, they headed back to watch the race. The streets around Brocks were far more crowded now, and Luke made sure to park the _Bloodfin_ in a concealed place.

"Do you ever wonder," Ben said, thoughtfully, as they walked among the spectator crowds. "Where the ground of Coruscant really is? You can barely see the sky from here."

Luke looked up, seeing what Ben meant. There were only the smallest snippets of atmosphere above, easily covered by a thumb.

"I don't think it has one," Luke said. "There's probably people living at the core."

"You don't think there's any real dirt left?"

"Maybe just a little bit."

"I want to live on a planet with grass and mountains," Ben said.

"As long as there is racing, I'd live anywhere," Luke said, looking around for a good spot.

"Even Tatooine?"

"Except Tatooine."

They found a place above the entrance to the service tunnels, giving them a view looking straight at the race participants down below. There were about twenty speeder bikes, all with varying degrees of modifications. The Novas were grouped on the right, whereas the Speedsters were on the left. Non-gang affiliated racers were gathered between them.

The stench of fuel was in the air, along with the sounds of engines revving and sputtering. Luke grinned, dreaming he was down there with them.

Suddenly, a big furry paw clamped down on his shoulder, rousing him from his daydream. It was followed by a loud Wookiee roar.

"Thanks for saving us a space, kid," a familiar voice said.

Luke looked up, seeing the odd pair they'd met in the bar. Han pushed Chewie aside, and stepped up to the railing. He dug in his pocket, and then pulled out a handful of betting chips.

"Say ... you two look like smart people," he said. "Just an hour ago, I paid a hundred credits for these bets. Now they're worth three hundred ... but because you saved Chewie's cousin, I'll make you a deal. For only two hundred credits, you can—"

Chewie growled in protest, attempting to remove the betting chips from Han.

"Who are the chips betting for?" Ben asked.

"The Troshodian at the back there."

"His speeder bike looks like it's about to fall apart," Luke said. "There's no way he can win."

"Okay, I'll be straight with you, kid. He paid me to take these bets, because you can't be in the race without someone betting on you, but the odds are stacked against him, so if he wins, you cash in big. What do ya say?"

Chewie growled again, and Han finally turned away. "Okay, okay. Maybe we should try that Ithorian over there ..."

"Boy, you must really be desperate," Ben said. "Do you owe someone money?"

"What do I look like? A third-rate smuggler for a Hutt?"

"Yes," Luke said. "Except replace third with fifth."

Chewie began laughing—at least, Luke assumed that odd chuffing sound was laughter.

"For your information, smart-mouth," Han said, "I'm an independent shipping contractor who owns the fastest ship in the galaxy. People come from all corners of the galaxy just to get a look at the _Millennium Falcon_ in action. She can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs."

"Then why are you hanging around in a scummy neighborhood like this?" Ben asked.

"Because a lousy con-artist stole the _Falcon's_ hyperdrive motivator, and she ain't going nowhere until I can get the money to replace it."

Chewie growled out something, and Han corrected himself. "Okay, so he won it in a game of sabacc, but he was cheating anyway."

Luke shared an amused glance with Ben.

"Have you tried scrounging around a junk heap?" Luke asked.

"Would you want a motivator from a junk heap in your ship when you're trying to outrun three Imperial star cruisers, and there are TIE fighters swarming all over you?"

"No one can outrun the Imperial navy," Luke said, in disbelief.

"I've run rings around Imperials from here to Tatooine, kid. Right Chewie?"

Chewie urfed in agreement.

"You've been to Tatooine?" Luke said, curious.

"I've been everywhere."

"No one could have been _everywhere,_ " Ben said. "You'd be a million years old by the time you went everywhere."

"Have you been to Muulinist?" Luke asked.

"Have a phony bank account there," Han said.

"Naboo?"

"Ate fish at a lakeside restaurant."

"Kamino?"

"Delivered umbrellas there."

"Oh yeah," Ben said. "Have you been to Pepelo?"

"Got into a bar fight there."

"I just made that place up," Ben said.

"Well check your map, kid, because Pepelo is a settlement in the Beano asteroid belt."

"Quiet, the race is starting!" Luke said, leaning over the railing in excitement. Below them, a large light changed from red to orange, signalling the racers to prepare to go.

"Luke, is that your comlink?" Ben asked, pointing at his pocket.

"Huh?" Luke listened above the noise of the crowd and commentators, and heard a familiar repeating beep. "Oh no."

"Answer it!" Ben said, urgently.

"You answer it!"

"I'll answer it," Han said. "Give it here."

Luke quickly picked up the flat, circular disk and held it steady in front of him. It lit up with an image of Lev. To say he didn't look happy was an understatement.

"Luke! Where in space are you?!"

"Uh ..." Luke looked around at the cheering crowds. "Somewhere."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Hold on," Luke said. He put the comlink on mute and put it back in his pocket.

Down below, the bikes raced past in a blur of speed. The crowd screamed and cheered until they disappeared into the tunnel. Luke grinned and then retrieved the comlink.

"You were saying?"

"Take a guess," Lev said, folding his arms.

Luke rolled his eyes at the small blue hologram and moved away from Han and Chewie.

"I'm just out with Ben. I'll probably be another hour or so ..."

"Your curfew was an hour ago."

"Then tell my father if you want," Luke said, frowning. "I don't care. I don't care about any of his rules. He has no right to tell me what's right and wrong."

"Luke, don't make me send out troopers to bring you in."

"I'm seventeen years old!" Luke protested. "I have every right to be out after dark if I want."

"My finger is reaching for the button to call the city guard."

"You wouldn't," Luke said. "That's a waste of government resources. Besides, who says I'm still in the city?"

"You're not in the city?" Lev said, sounding even more worried, if that were possible. "Where are you?! Do you know how dangerous it can be out there?"

Luke sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll come home. Don't worry!" He cut the call, deciding if he talked longer, he might sink deeper into that hole he'd already dug.

Ben was right behind him. "We're leaving?"

Luke nodded. "I should have had a better excuse lined up. Blast it!"

"Maybe it's better that we get out of here before Han realizes he's not going to win anything on this race."

"You're right," Luke agreed, glancing back at the smuggler. He was staring at the race viewscreens like a terrible tragedy was playing out before him.

Luke turned his back on the scene, knowing he couldn't risk delaying his departure. The longer he took to come home, the higher the risk of Lev taking him up on his threat, and passing this on to his father. But whatever the outcome, he knew one thing for sure. This wasn't the last this neighborhood had seen of him.

* * *


	5. Accident

It took some careful mental calculations to figure out the best way to get back into the Imperial Palace and get the alcohol soaked shirt in the cleaning unit before Lev came within smelling distance of it. Fortunately, it was a big place, and Lev had many skills, but Force sensitivity wasn't one of them.

As well as the telekinesis, Luke was finding he was becoming more aware of when people he knew well were on the other side of walls or doors. He could tell when Ben walked into the library at school, even when it was full of students. It came in handy when he wanted to avoid Lev.

But after another night of broken sleep, with stray thoughts of Captain Yahza slumping to the floor still intruding in his mind, he felt more determined than ever to find a way to eliminate this entire problem from his life. He had more than enough to worry about without the thought of accidentally hurting someone next time he lost his temper.

Maybe that's how it had started for his father. He knew he'd been through some terrible things when he was younger. Had this cold attitude to killing started as something that happened in a fit of anger which he later regretted? Had he then slowly become so used to it, now it was almost second nature to him?

The thought weighed on him throughout the day, and he found himself wishing he could talk to someone who knew his father in the past. Someone he could trust. He was sure such a person could answer all his questions and more. There were many people who had told him a little, like his mother's family, but they didn't know everything. He suspected the Emperor knew, but he couldn't trust anything he said on the subject.

Ben had asked him a few times what was wrong, but it wasn't something he could talk about with his friend. He had enough of his own problems right now, and none of them involved becoming a remorseless killer.

His doctor responded to his request for an appointment in the middle of the afternoon, inviting him to come to his office as soon as he was free. It was a relief, but Luke also found his palms were sweating as he walked the distance from the landing pad to the medical centre in the Senate office building. What if there was a way to end this, but it was long and painful? Or worse, what if there wasn't? What if his doctor didn't even believe in the Force? He'd met more than one person who dismissed the entire concept as superstition and magic tricks.

But as soon as Doctor Leeson had greeted him with a friendly smile and waved him into his office, Luke felt a rush of relief. Maybe this was part of his latent Force sensitivity as well, but there was something so reassuring about his doctor's presence. He flopped down into the comfortable chair beside his desk, and his doctor brought up his patient record.

"Well, Luke, it's been a while since I've seen you," he said, scrolling past some clinical notes with a gesture. "Which is a good thing, going by some of these entries."

Luke smiled. "Yes, I'm wiser. More mature. My hoverboard has grown dusty."

"I'm glad to hear it. So what can I do for you today?"

"I don't know if you'll even be able to help with this," Luke said. "But I didn't know who else to ask and I know you'll … keep it confidential." Without being aware of it, he realized he'd picked up one of the stress toys on his doctor's desk.

"Of course, Luke. You can discuss anything that's worrying you."

Luke put the stress toy back and began meshing his fingers together. "Okay. This is hard to explain. Um … do you believe in the Force?"

"I consider myself open-minded about such things. When I was a child, there were many stories told about what those who had a strong connection to the Force could do."

"Like reading people's minds?" Luke suggested. "Predicting the future?"

"Yes."

"Moving things without touching them?"

His doctor nodded. "I have also heard stories about what your father can do."

"He can use the Force to do all those things," Luke said. "And … here's the thing. So can I. Not like he can, as I haven't been trained. But I have the potential." Luke stood up, feeling the need to pace around the room. "Most of the time, I don't really notice … it's just part of who I am. But as I've grown older ..." Luke stretched out a hand towards the stress toy. It twitched slightly and then leapt through the air into his hand. "It's getting stronger."

His doctor jumped at the sight, and his eyes grew wide.

"I'm sorry, I've freaked you out, haven't I?" Luke quickly put the stress toy back where it belonged. "I shouldn't have done that."

His doctor didn't move for a few seconds. Then he reached out and activated the comlink on his desk.

"L-160, can you please cancel my next appointment?"

"Certainly, doctor. What should I state is the reason for the cancellation?"

"Just cancel it." He shut off the comlink.

Luke sunk back into the chair, slouching forward. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Doctor Leeson ran his hands through his hair, leaning back. "No, Luke. Don't apologise."

"I'm a freak."

"No. Don't say that. So … this telekinetic ability. It's been happening more often?"

"Yes. And the other day, for the first time, it happened when I wasn't even trying to do it. Normally I had to concentrate really hard and I felt drained afterwards. Like I'd just climbed a few flights of stairs. But I'm not so worried about that. Moving things around isn't so bad, unless it were to happen at school. What I'm really worried about is that I'll lose my temper and use this same ability to hurt someone. My father, he … well … he can actually _kill_ people." His voice broke on the word 'kill'.

His doctor nodded, and his tone was back to his usual calm reassurance. "I've heard about the choking."

Luke nodded. "Yes. That. So … is it possible to take away this power? I've heard about microscopic cellular life forms that scientists think is the reason why some people have a stronger connection to the Force. Can they be removed with an operation? Or maybe there's another way. A pill or something."

"Luke … this is a hard thing for me to admit, as my wife will confirm, but I am way out of my depth on this subject. I've heard of the theory you speak of, but any research into the role they play in the … manifestation of unusual abilities—" he gestured to the stress toy. "—has long been outlawed. When it wasn't illegal, it certainly wasn't a topic I was familiar with."

"That's okay," Luke said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I know you'd help me if you could."

"Have you spoken to your father about your worries?"

"Yes. He says I can choose how I want to use my power."

"That sounds like good advice. You're a good person, Luke. You're not going to start hurting people just because you have some unusual abilities. You don't go around hurting people now, do you?"

"No," Luke agreed. "But I don't think my father started out like he is now either."

"Well, between us, Luke, I've long thought your father suffers from severe post-traumatic stress. He shows many classic symptoms. Irritability, agitation, emotional detachment."

Luke cringed as he remembered the sight of the choking captain, and his doctor didn't miss it.

"Did something happen? Did you experience some temptation that has you so worried?"

"No, I ... " He hadn't spoken about this with anyone. Not even Artoo, who was the best listener out of anyone he knew. But maybe he should. "The other night, he … he choked a captain to death because he withdrew from a Rebel attack."

"And you witnessed this?"

Luke nodded, and his eyes filled with tears he'd been struggling to hold back. His doctor immediately handed him a tissue.

"Oh, Luke. No wonder you're feeling scared. I can't believe your father would do such a thing in front of you."

There was a rare note of annoyance in his doctor's voice, and Luke found himself remembering one crucial detail.

"Well … I wasn't actually supposed to be there. He'd told me to go back."

For the first time, it suddenly occurred to Luke that his father had known then exactly what was going to happen when he met with Captain Yahza. And he'd wanted to protect him.

"He knew it was wrong," Luke said, having a sudden revelation. "No matter what he says, there's still a part of him that knows it's wrong."

"I have no doubt. Your father cares about you and wouldn't have wanted you to be hurt. Witnessing such an event would be traumatic even for an adult who had served in the military for some years. Have you had trouble sleeping?"

His doctor was taking notes now. Luke found himself nodding.

"I've barely slept. Today I dozed during my history class."

"Appetite?"

"I feel nauseous whenever I think about it."

"Have you been indulging in any risky or self-harming behaviour since this happened?"

"No," Luke said, quickly. Racing around on a speeder bike didn't count.

His doctor turned to stare at him, and Luke hastily changed the subject.

"I'm okay. It's not easy, but I've seen stuff like this before. When I was just a kid, I had to learn to use a blaster to defend the farm from sand people. I saw my first dead body when I was only six. A few years ago, I was on a ship and I saw the aftermath of a firefight, and there dead soldiers just lying where they fell."

"That's different from seeing someone you love and respect execute someone in cold blood."

"Yeah, you're right," Luke admitted, twisting the damp tissue in his hands. "It's not only that. It's just … before that happened, I was at a diplomatic dinner where I was supposed to be representing the Empire. I don't know when I ever agreed to do any work for the Empire, but somehow it happened anyway. And everything about that night is exactly what I've always been saying. There are two versions of the Empire. There's the one you see on Empire Day, and on the HoloNet, and the one I was participating in at that dinner. Then there's what goes on out of sight and in the darkness and it's cold and brutal and I don't want to have anything to do with it!"

It felt so good to finally say it out loud. His doctor listened to all this with a concerned expression, and then said, "Perhaps you should try negotiating."

"Huh?"

"If you're being asked to represent the Empire, then you must have gained the support of the highest levels of the Imperial leadership. Outside of your father, I mean."

Luke nodded. "The Grand Vizier is nice to me. And most of the Moffs will smile and say hello if they see me around the palace."

"Clearly they see great potential in your leadership ability. You should use that to your advantage. If they want you to represent the Empire, then they need to accept your terms."

"You mean … I should say I won't participate in diplomatic dinners until my father stops executing officers?"

"It's worth a try." Doctor Leeson hesitated, and then said, "Just don't tell any of them I put you up to this."

Luke smiled. "Of course not. Maybe I could ask for other things too. No more torture or public executions outside the detention centre. And let the HoloNet news report on something other than how great the Emperor is."

"You should make a list. You might not be able to achieve all of them just yet, but don't underestimate how important you are." He returned to his computer and began scrolling back through his notes. "Luke, I'm going to refer you to a counselling service that I believe will help you develop some strategies for working through all this."

Luke raised his hands. "I can't do that. I've got my final exams coming up, and … and other things." Telling his doctor he needed to work on his new speeder bike so he could compete in an underground race wasn't a good idea. "Besides, I know what they'll say. That I should talk about it with my father. He's not even here … he's away dealing with some Rebel attack that never gets reported on the HoloNet."

"I can't make you do it if you don't want to. But I think it would help. It worries me that your first reaction to this was to want to erase part of yourself. It speaks to a lot of internal conflict."

"I'm okay," Luke repeated, starting to wish he'd never approached his doctor about this. "I better get going, anyway."

As Luke stood up, his doctor did the same. "Luke, before you go … I may not know anything about the Force, but I do remember what it was like to be seventeen. That age is confusing enough as it is, and you are dealing with heavy responsibilities on top of it all. I'm here anytime you need help."

"Thank you," Luke said. "I … I'll remember that."

* * *

Despite his discomfort at the suggestion of counselling, Luke found speaking with his doctor had helped a little, even if it just meant getting some reassurance that he wasn't overreacting by being upset about what his father had done. And the idea of negotiating to try and change how things worked around here was a good one.

He wasn't ready to entirely give up on the idea of finding a way to neutralise his Force sensitivity, however. His doctor might see it as erasing part of himself, but it was more about protecting himself from supernatural powers that he could tell would quickly overwhelm him if he wasn't careful.

Information about the Force and the Jedi might be suppressed and illegal, but the Imperial Palace contained a vast library of ancient Jedi texts on the subject. Luke recruited Artoo and Threepio to help him, and soon they were roaming the archive, Threepio rattling off subject headings that might be useful.

Luke was in the middle of browsing through a resource written by a Jedi healer, about conditions which diminished a Jedi's connection to the Force, when he heard the sound of the main doors opening.

"Oh, it's the Grand Vizier," Threepio said, bowing as Mas Amedda approached, his robe flowing behind him. "Greetings, your excellency."

"Hi," Luke said, not looking up from the text. There was a paragraph about some bio-engineered virus which attacked midichlorians, but one victim of it ended up dead. The healer noted that even the virus itself required a connection to the Force to survive, and it died along with its host. "If you're looking for an update on Tyloid, don't worry, I have it sorted."

"May I ask how?" the Grand Vizier asked, sounding skeptical.

"Some friends from school took him to one of their fancy exclusive nightclubs yesterday, and I haven't heard from him since, so I'm guessing that means he had a good time."

"It was intended that you be the one to entertain him, Luke."

"He didn't find me entertaining. I can't help that." He glanced up then, having a sudden idea. "Hey. You were around when the Jedi lived in this place, right?"

Mas Amedda gave him a wary look like he wasn't sure where this line of questioning was going. Luke chose to get to the point.

"Did you ever hear if there was a way to take away someone's ability to use the Force? So they became just like everybody else."

"Both the Separatists and the Republic did extensive research into the possibility," Mas Amedda said. "Any attempt to reduce a person's Force sensitivity was only temporary at best."

"Oh," Luke said, sighing as he closed down the databook.

"Exactly whose Force sensitivity were you hoping to take away?" Mas Amedda said, sounding amused. "Does your father practice his mind interrogation on you?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "My own."

The smile faded from Mas Amedda's blue features. After a moment, he said, "Why?"

Luke tapped his fingers on the table. "Did you know my father when he was still called Anakin Skywalker?"

He didn't answer him, but Luke could tell from his expression that the answer was yes.

"Would you want to lose yourself in your own power? Lose your own name?"

He looked uncomfortable then. "One always loses oneself in power, young man. We have a saying on Champala. Perhaps you've heard it: power corrupts. To be called to power is a call to sacrifice yourself for the greater good of your community."

"My mother had a lot of power," Luke said. "Was she corrupt?"

"She is dead," he replied, in a tone that made Luke feel cold. Even Artoo made a fearful whistle.

In the awkward silence that followed, he seemed to realise what he'd said.

"My apologies," he said. "I did not mean to be so blunt."

Luke looked down. Regardless, he'd said it. And he could see his point, too. His mother refused to go along with corruption, and so she didn't survive. Was that his inevitable fate as well?

"I can see you have some heavy questions on your mind," Mas Amedda continued. "I think the Emperor could answer them better than I could."

"Oh sure," Luke said. "I'll just waltz on up to his office, shall I? Or is he in the throne room?"

"You jest, but he would welcome you. You underestimate your importance to the future of our great Empire. I fear we are losing the support of your generation. You could change that."

Luke rubbed his head. If he did want to negotiate for some changes, then who better to negotiate with than the Emperor himself? As he'd pointed out to his father, everything that happened was by his command. But he'd have to be careful. He knew from past experience how manipulative the Emperor could be. How easily he could get under his skin and make him doubt everything. But he was older now. Wiser.

"I guess I could talk with him," Luke said. "I do have some things I'd like to discuss. But I can't just walk up there. Don't I need an appointment? I mean … not even the Moffs are allowed to speak to him without an invitation."

"No. But you are far more important than a mere Moff."

Luke raised an eyebrow, but the Grand Vizier had turned away.

"The guards will let him know you're there, and he will soon decline your visit if he's too busy to speak with you. This is a good time if you intend to do so."

"Uh … thanks," Luke said.

After the Grand Vizier had gone, he glanced at his droids. "Do you think I should?"

Artoo immediately burst into a flurry of beeps and whistles that needed no translation.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Artoo, Master Luke. I don't think you should do such a thing without first consulting your father."

"He can't help," Luke said, looking down. "I need answers, and he won't give it to me straight. The Emperor is the only other person I know who understands the Force."

"Oh, dear. Well, if you insist, Master Luke, then at least take Artoo with you."

"Sure," Luke said. "That's a good idea. If he kills me, you'll be able to avenge my death."

Artoo made an angry noise, and Luke reached out to pat his dome. "Just kidding."

* * *

It was completely silent on the upper levels of the palace, and the whirr of Artoo's wheels sounded unusually loud. Luke tried to breathe evenly, reminding himself of every time an adult had told him he was more important than he realised. Maybe it was time he started believing them.

But all his confidence disappeared in a flash when he approached the elevator that led up to the Emperor's office. He was about to turn around and tell Artoo this had all been a mistake, when the guard on the right spoke.

"Luke?"

It was Ben's father. Of all the unfortunate coincidences.

"Uh, hi," he said, clenching and unclenching his fingers. "I … uh … have a meeting with the Emperor."

"We weren't informed," the guard on the left said.

"It's sort of … impromptu," Luke said. "The Grand Vizier sent me."

That was sort of true. Mostly true. He really hoped he wasn't turning as red as their uniforms.

Captain Jarnet spoke again. "Luke, are you sure you should be attending a meeting alone? Is your father aware?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Luke said. "Could you just tell him I'm here, please?"

They didn't need to. Luke heard their comlinks crackle, and the muffled sound of the Emperor's voice.

"Let young Skywalker through."

They had no choice then but to stand aside, but the guard on the left waved Artoo back as soon as Luke had passed.

"Your droid will need to wait down here. No unauthorized droids in the royal office."

Artoo whistled in protest, but the elevator door was already sliding closed. There was no turning back now.

Luke couldn't help but think of the very first time he had come here. Nervous and scared and completely clueless about who this ruler of the galaxy was. Now, five and a half years later, he still wasn't entirely sure. His father seemed both devoted to and disdainful of the man at the same time. Even the men and women who had dedicated their careers to protecting him, the royal guard, seemed fearful of him. Every Empire Day, he was credited with saving the galaxy, but in other places, deep in the lower levels, there was graffiti decrying him as a heartless tyrant.

The doors slid open, and through the ante-room, Luke could see the Emperor sitting behind his desk, chair turned away towards the windows overlooking the city. The guards on either side of the elevator didn't move as he walked through, silently coming to stand at the entrance to the office. The room was bathed in the deep orange light of the setting sun.

"Good evening, young Skywalker," the Emperor said, sounding pleased about something.

"Your highness," Luke said, trying to sound confident. "I'm … uh … sorry for interrupting you."

"Not at all." He rotated the chair back to face him, although Luke could hardly see his face in the depths of the hood. "Please, take a seat. I knew it wouldn't be much longer before you sought me out."

Luke came forward and chose the red chair on the right, which had been left slightly further back from the desk than the other.

"Um … you did?"

"Yes. Your power in the Force is growing. It is only natural you would seek a mentor to teach you to control it."

"That's not … wait, you know about that?" Luke said, feeling nervous. "I … uh … I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know. It is nothing to worry about, I assure you."

"The truth is, I don't want to be trained at all," Luke said, keeping his gaze focused on the red carpet.

The Emperor was quiet in response, and Luke wondered if he'd said something offensive.

"I don't want to be responsible for hurting anyone," Luke explained. "I've seen how my father loses his temper and kills without thinking. I've heard many times about how dangerous the Jedi were."

"Interesting," the Emperor said, bringing his hands together and rippling his fingers. "I'm afraid, young man, that you have no choice in the matter now. You have become open to the Force, and your power grows naturally with each passing day. You already possess the ability to hurt others with your power, if you so desire."

Luke felt a rush of fear. "I don't desire. What can I do?"

"You must learn to control your abilities. Did your father ever explain why I didn't want you to be opened to the Force when you were a child?"

"No, I … I don't think he did."

"The Jedi trained children from a young age. Your father was only nine years old when they took him from his mother and even that was considered old to begin training. I believe it makes a Force user unstable. I began my training as an adult, and I have never experienced such problems. I will help you learn focus and control. Any suffering you cause others will be by your choice alone."

"I don't want to cause anyone suffering. I want to make things better for the galaxy."

"That is a goal we share."

Luke swallowed. This was a lot harder than he imagined. Now would be an ideal moment to start talking about some of the things he wanted changed. No more executions. No more torture. But somehow, staring right at the ruler of the galaxy and complaining about the way he ran the Empire wasn't as easy as his doctor and the Grand Vizier made it seem. Perhaps that could wait for another day. Or he could discuss it with his father first.

"I would like to learn how to control my power," Luke said, surprised at how steady his voice sounded. "I'm open to what you can teach me."

"Excellent. We can start immediately."

Behind him, the last rays of sun dipped below the horizon. Luke began to feel cold at the sight.

"I … I've had a long day, your highness. I'm not sure I'll be able to focus much. Perhaps when I'm more rested ..."

"You already know far more than you realise, young man. I would like to teach you something you may find very useful at this stage of your life."

"Slowing down time?" Luke suggested.

The Emperor smiled. "No. Discerning the future."

"I ... is that possible?"

"Oh, yes. In fact, I have mastered it."

Luke had never felt so enthusiastic about the idea of being trained in the Force since he'd first learned of it.

"That's exactly what I need," he said, shifting the chair forward.

* * *

_There was a door chime sounding nearby. Luke watched his hand reaching up to press the door release button._

_It was Ben on the other side. He smiled warmly._

_"Hi, Luke. I was just here to visit my father, and I thought I'd drop by."_

_"Come on in," Luke heard himself say._

_Ben occupied the bean bag in front of the holovid, and Luke sat on the edge of his bed. There was a moment of silence, and then Ben spoke._

_"So. How are you doing? How's your training?"_

_"It's great." His voice sounded stilted, though. "I'm becoming more powerful every day."_

_"Sounds good," Ben said, although his eyes shifted away from his gaze, as if he felt a little uncomfortable. "I love medical school. Being too smart isn't a social stigma anymore. In fact, I'm one of the average ones."_

_There was more silence. Luke felt himself tapping his fingers against the bed cover._

_"Guess who I saw last week?" Ben said, suddenly looking back._

_"Who?"_

_"Ophelia. She was visiting a friend on campus. She actually said hi to me ... can you believe it?"_

_Luke didn't respond._

_"She asked me if I had spoken to you recently," Ben continued, sounding concerned. "She said you'd changed."_

_"I have," Luke agreed._

_"In what way?"_

_Luke looked away, staring out the window. "In every way. The Emperor is showing me my true potential. Remember when we used to talk about all the problems in the galaxy and what we'd do if we were in charge? Soon, I'll be able to do all those things. I'll be able to do anything I want."_

_"Where is your father?" Ben asked, sounding like he wanted to change the subject._

_"I don't know. I haven't spoken to him since last month. He's away looking after military projects."_

_Ben raised an eyebrow. "You haven't spoken to him in a month?"_

_"The Emperor says it's time for me to become my own person ... move out of his shadow. I guess he's right."_

_"That's a shame," Ben said. "You two were always so close. When you weren't arguing, I mean."_

_"Yeah ..." Luke felt sad for a moment, and then brightened up. "He's going to be impressed with my power when he returns."_

_"You should stop by and see me on campus sometime," Ben said. "When was the last time we went cruising?"_

_"I don't really have time for that anymore. I'm training twelve hours a day. I should get back to the dueling room."_

_"I'll see you some other time, then," Ben said, standing up._

_Luke turned away, not bothering to see him out. His friend left in silence._

* * *

"Luke?"

Luke jolted upright, staring around in confusion. The computer screen on his desk had shut down through lack of activity. All around him, students were packing up and leaving the room. Beside him, Ben was frowning in concern.

"That's the third time today you've zoned out. What's wrong?"

"Uh … nothing," Luke said, glancing out the window.

He could barely recall much of his lesson with the Emperor the night before. Something about letting his mind slow down and focusing on his connection to the Force, to the point where all the outside world disappeared into vague images and feelings. Then he'd told him not to discuss this training with his father, which wasn't a problem. They hadn't been on speaking terms since the night his father had killed Captain Yahza. His father had left a comlink message for him, as he usually did when he was away, but he'd been too busy to listen to it.

Artoo and Threepio had endless questions for him about his meeting with the Emperor, but he didn't feel like discussing it. Then he'd woken up with the strangest feeling he'd been having a dream about the future. Now it was happening again when he was awake.

Except that couldn't be the future. There was no future in which he would treat his friend so coldly. No future in which he wouldn't speak to his father in a month.

He stood up, sweeping his datapads into his school backpack.

"You free tonight?" Luke said. "I want to go visit the Speedsters again and hopefully see a race."

"Are you sure you're safe to drive?" Ben said, raising an eyebrow. "Or even fly home."

"I'm fine," Luke snapped. He immediately regretted it. "Sorry," he said. "You're right, I've been a little distracted. I'll walk home, have a rest, and then pick you in a couple of hours or so, okay?"

The speeder would be safe on the school landing pad until then.

Ben nodded in agreement. He stayed late in the school library most nights, and went off quickly to get a good study space. He really should be joining him.

But the walk home did him good, as did a nap and then doing some tuning work on the speeder bike engine. Afterwards, he was on his way down to the security office when he bumped into Tyloid in the elevator. He was clearly dressed up for a night out.

"So you've found the good nightclubs?" Luke enquired, figuring he might as well be polite.

"Yeah, and one of those girls from your school isn't half bad. I think we've hit it off."

"You're not talking about Ophelia, right?"

"No way, she's an ice-queen. The other one. Armith."

"Oh … has a lot of plaits. Quiet?"

"She's not so quiet when she's away from Ophelia. I know how to make her purr."

Luke cringed.

"So why don't you come out with us?" Tyloid asked. "This is my last night at the palace. My father leaves tomorrow and I'm moving into a new apartment near the senate."

"Thanks, but I need to study."

Tyloid looked baffled. "For what? To get a degree you don't need because your father is the kriffin' second-in-command of the Empire?"

"Well, you never know," Luke said, looking aside. "He might disown me, and I'll need to get a job somewhere else."

That wasn't the real reason. If he was really going to expected to work for the Empire in a powerful job simply because of who his father was, he at least wanted to have passed his high school exams.

Tyloid smiled. "That actually happened to a cousin of mine. All right. I might see you around the Senate."

"Night," Luke said.

Tyloid left at the main exit floor, while Luke continued on to the lower level where the security office was located. Lieutenant Hicks sighed when he came through the doors.

"Luke. Luke, Luke, Luke. What mischief are you up to tonight?"

"No mischief," Luke said, grinning. "Look! I brought you a bag of cosmo crunchies for the snack bowl." He popped open the bag and began emptying it into the largely empty bowl.

"Which I can't eat because I'm on a wedding diet," Lieutenant Hicks said. "So you want to get that bike out the service exit again?"

"Yes, and could you give me access to the controls to get it back in later tonight? Pretty please?"

"You realize I could get fired for this?"

"You always say that," Luke said, sitting in the chair in front of his desk. "But you're still here. I think it's because you're the best security officer in the palace."

Lieutenant Hicks smiled at that, and soon handed over a special key card.

"Whatever you do, just don't get injured on that thing, or I'll never hear the end of it from my boss."

"Of course not," Luke said. "I'm the safest driver around."

* * *

Ben had messaged him to say he was at his apartment now, and Luke enjoyed timing himself to see if it was faster to get there on the bike than with a speeder. The bike won by a good minute.

His friend went off to rummage in his bedroom for a jacket, while Luke sat on the main couch in the lounge, enjoying the normality of his friend's home. A half read Coruscant Daily news flimsi lay on a chair, and a HoloNet program guide was resting on a stack of databooks. It was all lightyears away from his experience in the Emperor's office.

"Let's go," Ben said, returning. "I'll just leave a note for my father in case he comes off shift early."

Luke stood up, leading the way back to the elevator.

"You know, he asked me if you were okay this morning," Ben said, casually. "Did something weird happen at the palace?"

Luke immediately remembered his short conversation with Captain Jarnet outside the elevator. He was about to explain, when he stopped short. He didn't want Ben to know about the Emperor, and it wasn't just the Emperor's desire to keep it secret that motivated him. He wanted it to stay secret himself. It felt shameful, for some reason he couldn't pinpoint.

"Why, what else did he say?" Luke asked, carefully.

"Nothing. He just seemed worried about you and said I should keep an eye out for any unusual behaviour. I said you'd been acting weird since the day you showed up with Tyloid."

"I guess I've been thinking a lot about the future lately," Luke said, as they rode the elevator down to the street-level parking lot. "It feels like everything is changing. And everyone has more expectations of me."

"Well, not everything changes," Ben said. "We're still friends."

Luke felt a wave of emotion. He rested a hand on the _Bloodfin_ , needing to steady himself.

"Just try and keep your speed somewhere near legal," Ben said, climbing on the back. "No more traffic droids."

"Whatever you say," Luke said, swinging a leg over. He started up the engine, and then paused before hitting the accelerator. "We're always going to be friends, right?" he said.

"Of course. Why?"

"I don't know," Luke said. "Just idle thoughts, that's all. I'd hate it if we never had time to do things like _this_ anymore."

"Even if we didn't, we'd still be friends," Ben said.

"Yeah," Luke said, feeling better. "You're right."

* * *

It was late by the time Luke returned to the palace, much later than he intended. They hadn't seen a race, as the Speedsters and Novas had apparently gone to participate in another race in a different neighborhood, but Han and Chewie were in Brock's Cantina, still trying to win money to replace their hyperdrive motivator.

Luke and Ben had picked up the rules of sabacc just by watching a few games, and then Chewie had humored them with a few rounds, where they bet with bar nuts and breath mints. Luke had won two in every three rounds, much to Chewie's surprise. Han had begun pleading for Luke to sit in for him in the real game, but Luke had refused, despite the smuggler's attempts to bribe him. Considering Han had put the _Falcon's_ cooling regulator on the table, Luke didn't want to risk leaving Han another few thousand credits out of pocket.

After dropping Ben at his apartment, he'd gone for a few laps around Imperial City, enjoying the adrenaline rush of pushing the _Bloodfin_ to its top speed. Weaving in and out of the traffic was exhilarating, and went a long way to calming the stress of the last few days. He was almost feeling back to normal by the time he pulled into the service entrance of the Imperial Palace.

Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky at avoiding Lev this time. After he'd stripped off his gloves and hung up his helmet in the ship hangar, he left the workroom to find his friend waiting by the elevators. Not only him, but Artoo and Threepio as well. This wasn't going to be pretty.

As soon as he was in shouting distance, Lev folded his arms.

"Luke! Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

Artoo followed this with a flurry of angry whistles and chirps.

"Time for me to be in bed?" Luke suggested. He pushed the up button to summon an elevator.

"We've all been so worried, Master Luke!" Threepio said.

Artoo launched into another long string of beeps, and the parts of it which Luke understood sounded like he was saying that he should have taken them with him.

"Artoo, Threepio, why don't you leave this to me?" Lev said. "Could you please go and contact Lord Vader and let him know Luke is now home safely."

"Of course, sir," Threepio said. "Come along, Artoo."

Artoo gave one final annoyed beep and then rolled after Threepio. Lev turned back to face him.

"It's two hours after your curfew."

"My curfew." Luke rolled his eyes. "One moment I've got people telling me I'm the future of the Empire, and now I'm being treated like a child."

"Then act like an adult. Be responsible. Your comlink was off and you didn't let anyone know when you'd be back. I've had the city guard out searching for you."

"I needed a break. Why are you even here so late, anyway?"

"Because your father contacted us, concerned that you hadn't responded to his last message and now you weren't answering your comlink. Hicks told me you'd gone out on some speeder bike."

"I was just over at Ben's," Luke tried.

The elevator finally arrived, and Luke stepped in. Unfortunately, Lev joined him. He stood beside him with his hands clasped behind his back, until the doors slid closed.

"You smell like cheap Corellian brandy," he remarked.

"I haven't been drinking!" Luke protested. He stared down at his shirt, wondering when he'd picked up that particular odour. Maybe the bar stool he'd sat on had been drenched in it.

"It's just you don't usually smell like that after being at Ben's apartment."

Luke was silent, unwilling to lie any further, yet knowing the truth would cause even more problems.

"You know, when your father returns, the first thing he's going to ask is if there's been any problems with you. What am I supposed to say? This is the second time you've stayed out late and been evasive about where you've been. You've been ignoring that Quasher senator you were asked to entertain. I don't want to get you in trouble with your father, but there's only so much I can forget to mention."

Luke sighed. The last thing he wanted was to have to endure a father-son discussion about his behaviour. But he didn't want Lev to have to lie for him.

"Tell him what you need to," Luke said, finally.

"I think I know what this is about," Lev said. "You witnessed something terrible this week, and this is your way of dealing with it. Acting in risky and self-destructive ways is not going to help you work through your emotions. Why don't you call your father and talk about your feelings?"

"As if I want to listen to his excuses!" Luke snapped. He put his face in his hands then, feeling weary. "Sorry. I just … I feel under so much pressure. What you said the other day, about me making better choices. What if I don't?"

"You're a good person, Luke. Hold on to that and you'll make the right choices."

"Sure," Luke sighed. He stepped out when the elevator arrived at his floor. "Goodnight, Lev."

* * *

"Catching up on the homework you should have done over the weekend?" Ben enquired.

Luke looked up from his lunch table, which was covered in datapads and viewscreens.

"How did you know?"

"The Force, I guess," Ben said, sitting down.

"I was too busy working on the _Bloodfin_ ," Luke said. "Didn't have time for homework."

"Nice priorities." Ben was shuffling a pack of cards. "Want to play some sabacc? We could bet using candy from the snack machine."

Ben had become a big fan of sabacc since Han and Chewie had taught them to play, and he'd read all the books in the library on different techniques.

"I'll play if I can bet my homework," Luke said. "If I win, you have to do it for me."

"No deal."

"Speaking of sabacc, Han said there was a race this evening," Luke said. "I think the _Bloodfin_ is finally ready for it. Tonight is the perfect opportunity."

He'd stayed home for a few nights to make Lev think he was busy thinking of ways to be more responsible. Then, as luck would have it, tonight was Lieutenant Hick's suit fitting for his upcoming wedding, and Lev was his best man.

"Sorry, Luke, I can't," Ben said. "Medical school scholarship interview. I've got a really good feeling about this one … it's for sons and daughters of members of the military, but they include the royal guard corps as well. They give out hundreds of them, and the careers advisor said as long as I talk a lot about how I want to serve the citizens of the galaxy, I should be an obvious choice. Actually, my interview appointment isn't until 18:30 … maybe I can come over and you can help me practice."

Luke smirked. "Sure. Why don't you also talk about your new sabacc skills?"

"Not likely."

* * *

The Imperial Palace was the perfect place to practice for a scholarship interview, with the galaxy's pre-eminent advisor on etiquette and protocol on hand to give Ben advice on word choice and posture, and a ready supply of snacks to keep them fed throughout the process. Artoo found a list of common scholarship interview questions on the HoloNet.

Once he had a good handle on what he was going to say, Ben asked if there were any friendly officers around that he might be able to do a practice run through with, just to make sure he didn't sound too rehearsed. Luke suggested they try the security office, as Commander Julius would likely be there, covering Lieutenant Hicks shift while he was out seeing to wedding preparations.

"So you haven't practiced with your father at all?" Luke asked, as they travelled down to the lower levels in the elevator.

"No. He doesn't even know I'm applying for this … he still hasn't accepted that I'm going to medical school. He's been doing the evening shifts on the upper floors this month, so he won't be home until later."

Luke found it hard to believe Captain Jarnet would have refused to help Ben prepare if he knew about this, but maybe Ben didn't want to risk it, in case it started another argument. Luke could well understand that.

As soon as they walked into the quiet security office, Commander Julius glanced up from her desk, and her typically serious expression changed to a warm smile.

"Ah, if it isn't Cupcake and the junior Jarnet. No, I'm not giving you access to the roof."

Luke smirked. "Lieutenant Hicks already gave me that years ago." He sat backwards on the chair in front of her desk. "Ben has a scholarship interview this evening, and he was hoping you could run through these practice questions with him. He's worried he sounds too rehearsed."

"Scholarship interview?" she said, accepting the offered datapad from Ben. "For what?"

"Medical school."

She shook her head, and looked from Ben to Luke. "When did you two get so old? I'm going to come in one day and they'll be an office memo announcing you are now to be addressed as Lord Cupcake, aren't I?"

Luke laughed. "Not likely."

"That would be the worst Sith Lord name ever," Ben said.

Commander Julius was about to ask the first question, when the doors to the security office opened again. Luke spun the chair around and found himself facing a royal guard in full uniform, her robes fanning out as she crossed the floor. To his surprise, she passed him a holoprojector.

"The Emperor wishes to speak with you."

"The Emperor!" Luke said, staring at the projector in fright. He tried to pass it back. "Uh ... tell him I'm busy."

She tilted her masked head as if to say 'you're kidding, right?'.

"You can't refuse to take a call from the Emperor," Ben said, sounding shocked. He looked at Commander Julius. "Can he?"

"No, junior Jarnet is right," Commander Julius said, standing up. She gestured to the room behind her. "Come, Luke. There's no one in the comms room."

He felt a vague panic in his chest as she put a hand on his shoulder and led him into a room off to the side."

"You want me to stay?" she asked. I can keep out of sight."

"No, I … uh … don't worry I can handle this."

"All right, Cupcake. Remember to kneel until he tells you to rise."

Luke stared at her retreating back in surprise. _Kneel?_

His father hadn't covered this in his brief etiquette lesson around royal protocol. Probably because he'd never imagined he would be speaking to the Emperor alone.

_Behind his back_ , a voice whispered in his mind, and he pushed away the resulting feeling of shame.

As soon as the doors closed, he plugged the projector into the main terminal, and it activated as he stepped into the field. Feeling completely self-conscious and more than a little awkward, he bent down on one knee. He saw the shiny black floor light up blue with the reflection from the hologram, and heard the Emperor's throaty voice above him.

"Greetings, young Skywalker. You may rise."

"Your highness," Luke said, as he climbed to his feet. He couldn't bring himself to look directly at the hologram.

"Have you been practicing your foresight?"

Just the thought of trying that again made him feel sick. He couldn't say that.

"Um ... not really, your highness. I've been busy with studies and ..." he trailed off, not wanting to elaborate further.

"Perhaps the seeing of the future is not where your interests lie."

_Spending time with you isn't where my interests lie_ , Luke thought. It had been a mistake to go to him in the first place. No matter what would come of his growing sensitivity to the Force, he knew it would be worse if he accepted more guidance from him. Just the memory of the cold manner in which his vision self had treated Ben ...

"Come and see me," the Emperor said. "We will work on something else. Perhaps you would like to learn how to use the Force for self-defence. Or to enhance your piloting skills."

The mention of piloting caught Luke's attention. He'd even tolerate the Emperor's company to learn something to help him with piloting. But tonight he was racing, and nothing would get in the way of that. His father was due home tomorrow, and this might be his last chance.

"I ... I would like that, your highness," Luke said. "But ... would another time be okay? Maybe tomorrow? I have a lot of important homework to finish."

The Emperor was silent, and Luke wondered if he'd just made a mistake. Maybe his words had implied his own convenience was more important than the Emperor's. Stars, he hadn't thought of that.

"I'll come up straight away," Luke corrected.

"No, that isn't necessary, young Skywalker. We will meet at some other time. Not tomorrow. Your father returns tomorrow, and you must not tell him that we have been talking. I will explain the situation to him in my own time."

"Sure," Luke said. He considered asking why this was so secret, but he didn't want to annoy the Emperor any further.

"Your highness," Luke added. He kept forgetting that part.

"Have a good night, young Skywalker."

"Goodnight, your highness."

Luke switched off the projector, and let out a loud sigh of relief. When he returned to the main office, Ben was practicing with Commander Julius, and the royal guard was still waiting. Luke returned the projector, feeling glad to see the last of it.

Both Commander Julius and Ben fell silent as she left, and looked at him expectantly.

"So …" Ben said. "What was that about?"

Luke shrugged. "Oh … nothing."

"Nothing? I didn't know you were on speaking terms with the Emperor."

"Neither did I," Commander Julius said. "You sure I'm not supposed to be calling you Lord Cupcake?"

"Ha ha," Luke said. He glanced at the time on the wall-sized screen, currently showing views from all the interior and exterior security cameras. "What time is your interview, anyway?"

"18:30," Ben said. "Plenty of time. It's just at the university."

"Are you kidding?" Commander Julius said, raising an eyebrow. She picked up a remote and switched the view on the big screen to an overhead view of Imperial City traffic. "It's going to take you an hour just to get out of the government block. There's a big vote on at the Senate and they've closed most of the entry points due to bomb threats."

"What?!" Ben said, staring in dismay. "That wasn't on the HoloNet news."

"It never is," Luke said. "Don't worry. We can take the _Bloodfin_."

"Is that the ancient speeder bike you've been sneaking out the service exit?" Commander Julius said. "Street traffic will be even worse."

Luke frowned. There was another option … one he couldn't mention to Commander Julius.

"Come on, Ben. Let's see if I can find some shortcuts."

Commander Julius frowned. "What are you planning, Cupcake?"

"Uh … I won't tell you so you can deny all knowledge later."

She sighed. "Just be safe, okay?"

"Always."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Ben said, as Luke ran through the warm-up sequence on the _Dunesea_. I thought you weren't allowed to fly ships alone?"

"I'm not alone," Luke said. "You're with me. And you're not going to get there on time otherwise."

Ben slid into the co-pilot's seat and buckled up his seat restraints.

"Wow," he said, looking over the controls. "Look at all these lights. Are you sure you can fly this by yourself?"

"No problem," Luke said, engaging the main repulsors. The ship lifted off the ground, and he pulled the lever to retract the boarding ramp.

A few rocks and engine tremors, and then they were airborne. Luke pushed the throttle in and they swung out into the city and rose up far above the congested traffic lanes. Luke pressed a switch, and the shuttle's wings extended into flight mode. Ben was staring around in wonder.

"I can see the Senate from here."

"I know," Luke said. "You should see what it's like up in space. Coruscant looks like a grey desert."

"Do you know any tricks?"

"My father taught me a spinning trick," Luke said. "But my favourite trick is this—"

His friend gasped as Luke cut off the engines, and the shuttle dropped out of the air. He waited a few seconds, before pulling up.

"Okay, no more tricks!" Ben said, gripping his armrests.

Luke laughed. He accelerated towards the horizon, passing through the security shield around Imperial City. His father had VIP transponder codes on all the ships, and they were ignored by all the protective squads of TIE fighters, flying protectively around the senate. Ben directed him to the university block, and within a few minutes, Luke had brought the shuttle down gently on a protruding landing platform.

Ben glanced at the ship's chrono, unbuckling his seat restraints. "Thanks Luke. I've got plenty of time to find the interview room now."

"Maybe I should come with you," Luke said.

"No, you go and watch this race you've been pining for," Ben said. "I'll let you know how it went tomorrow."

Luke nodded. "Bye, buddy."

Luke waited until Ben had safely departed the shuttle, and then he rose back into the air, swinging above the traffic. There was no hurry to get back, as the race didn't start for another hour, and he was enjoying the freedom of being out alone.

He pushed the throttle in, and headed out to the industrial districts. There were vast arrays of abandoned factories out there, and the skies were largely empty. The perfect place to practice a few manoeuvres, now that he didn't have his father constantly telling him to keep his speed reasonable and fly sensibly.

The sun had dropped below the horizon by the time he saw the protruding chimneys, emitting toxic waste from energy cores well below the surface. He accelerated towards them, seeing how close he could weave between them. It reminded him of a narrow gap in Beggar's Canyon, known as the Stone Needle. A lot of the older boys used to break wings off their skyhoppers, trying to fly through it as fast as possible.

When he shot past the last one, he brought the ship into a three-sixty turn. The stabilizers whined, but still held out. Luke grinned, knowing such a manoeuvre would have destroyed the ship when it first arrived in their ship hangar. It was his father's modifications that had made the _Dunesea_ so stable under intense pressure.

Luke was about to dive down into a trench, when a flicker on the scopes caught his eye. He sat forward, studying the display. There was a ship behind him. He stared at the radar in surprise; the small craft appeared to be following him.

It was a sleek one-person fighter ... according to the scopes it had dorsal and ventral gun turrets, missile bays—Luke began to feel nervous. That was no family passenger craft. What was it doing out here in the industrial wastelands of Coruscant? He grabbed the controls, steering the ship back towards Imperial City. Whoever was flying that thing, Luke had a feeling they weren't friendly.

He jumped as the alarms came on, blaring warnings that he was being targeted.

"No!" Luke quickly turned on the shields. His speed instantly began to fall, as energy sapped away from the engines.

"Come on," Luke said, pushing on the throttle. He couldn't afford to lose speed.

A loud bang shook through the shuttle, and Luke was thrown against his seat restraints. The shields glowed yellow outside the windshield.

Luke breathed quickly, trying to get control of his fear. A thought briefly crossed his mind—the Emperor had suggested using the Force to improve his piloting. He could use it now, if he could just concentrate enough to focus—

Another explosion sent him twisting off to one side. There was no time to think about the Force!

Luke dropped down into the buildings, hoping they'd offer him some protection. Another shot hit one of his wings, and the craft almost entered a spin. Luke began to sweat—this was nothing like dogfighting in the training simulator! He barely dodged another shot by swooping left, but then the next one hit the engines.

A warning light began to flash indicating the rear shield was about to fail.

"Blast it!"

Luke grabbed the trigger, suddenly realizing he might have to use it. He fired a test shot, and two measly green laser bolts left from the tips of the front wings. Only two forward guns! What was his father thinking? A blast rocked the ship from the side, indicating his assailant was not hesitant to use the more lethal weaponry at their disposal.

Luke turned the ship around, and suddenly found himself flying straight towards the other craft. He pumped the trigger as fast and quickly as he could. The small craft hastily looped away, but not before Luke saw one of his shots strike the ship's underbelly.

"Ha!" Luke called. "Take that!"

He looped away, entering a narrow gap between two buildings. More ships had begun to appear in the sky at this point, indicating he was getting closer to Imperial City. Once there, he'd be safe behind the outer security shields. All those TIE fighters protecting the senate and the palace might come to his aid.

There had been no sign of his assailant for the last thirty seconds, and Luke wondered if the other ship had abandoned the chase. Perhaps he could switch off the shields and gun the engine in order to reach safety.

A sudden warning alarm on the radar put an end to that idea. Missiles! Luke made a sharp right and pulled the stick back. The _Dunesea_ climbed up into the sky, releasing him from the narrow confines of the buildings. He launched into a spin as the missiles approached, not caring whether the shuttle could handle it or not.

Something told him to drop down, and he momentarily cut the engines. The missiles swept over his cockpit window, then looped around, close enough for Luke to stare straight into their glowing sensors. He closed his eyes, called on the Force, and gripped the trigger as hard as he could.

A few tense seconds passed, where the world seemed to slow down, and he could hear his heart beating in his head. Then an explosion lit the sky, and he opened his eyes to find the missiles gone and the ship still intact. He'd done it!

His elation was short-lived. Once the smoke and debris cleared, a giant mall filled the window. It was too late to turn—he'd crash right into it!

Another blast rocked his ship, and Luke turned desperately, seeing his pursuer streak past out the rear window. The _Dunesea's_ shield flashed and disappeared, its energy completely drained. Another hit would destroy him!

He stared back in front, seeing a landing pad rushing towards him. He'd never survive the impact. A single word lit up on the control panel.

_Eject!_

_You don't say_ , Luke thought. He shut his eyes tight and yanked the ejection lever as hard as he could.

The front windshield exploded in front of him, and he was launched through it like a blaster bolt. Luke was sure he was dead. The wind roared in his ears and battered his body, pushing against his ascent until he finally slowed to a stop. He opened his eyes and looked around in terror. He was floating in the middle of the sky, supported only by a repulsorlift pack attached to his seat restraints.

Gravity took hold, and he began to sink slowly towards the ground, gaining momentum as rows and rows of tiny lights rushed past. Luke couldn't help but gaze around in wonder. If his stomach wasn't twisted into a knot, he might have enjoyed the ride.

He dropped past several people in speeders on his way down, and they stared at him in shock. A hover-train passed directly below him, missing him only by a body length. As it roared away, Luke saw a mid-air pedestrian walkway rushing up below him. There was no avoiding it.

"Slow down! Slow down!" Luke yelled, hoping that the pack would obey voice commands.

No such luck. His feet slammed into the permacrete, followed by the rest of his body. His right shoulder and arm took the brunt of the secondary impact, but his body was crushed under the weight of the repulsor pack. Pain flared in every part of him that could still feel something. Just when Luke thought it couldn't get worse, a piece of ship wreckage fell onto his head.

He lay still for a few seconds, wondering if it was safe to try and move. Finally, he rolled onto his back, letting the metal slide onto the ground. The white helmet of a stormtrooper came into view, staring down from above.

"What are you looking at?" Luke said, annoyed.

"You fell out of the sky," the trooper observed.

"So what?"

"Let's see some ID."

Luke groaned. He fumbled around in his pocket for a moment, and then produced something that felt promising. The trooper looked at his card, and then threw it back at him. He started to walk on.

"Aren't you going to help me?" Luke asked, incredulous.

The trooper didn't hear him or chose to ignore him. Luke struggled into a sitting position, ignoring the renewed aches in his body, and then looked around the deserted walkway. What in the name of the Force was he going to do? Lev ... he could call Lev ... Luke again reached into his pockets, but this time, he came out empty handed. Either his comlink was still sitting in the hangar bay, or he'd lost it in the explosion. He was alone in this one.

He looked down at his chest, seeing the _Dunesea's_ seat restraints still tightly buckled. The spent repulsorpack fell away as he released the catch. Now it was time to stand up. His ankle burned at the mere thought, but Luke didn't have time to argue about it. The longer he stayed here, the more chance he could be found by someone even less friendly than the stormtrooper.

_One ... two ..._ on three, Luke struggled to his feet. He remained upright for a few seconds, and then his ankle collapsed under him, and he sunk to his knees. In front of him, a single word on a piece of metal glinted under a nearby streetlight. _Dunesea_. The shuttle's nameplate. The only thing that remained of a one-of-its-kind prototype ship, which had taken months and months of design and engineering work. His father was going to kill him.

That is, if he wasn't dead already by the time he found out about this.

* * *


	6. Cover-Up

An hour later, Luke limped through the glass doors of the medical centre in the senate office building. A kind security guard at the train station had offered to call ahead and get someone to come up with a stretcher, but he'd insisted he'd make it fine on his own. He was wrong.

Collapsing to his knees inside the door, he crawled up to the reception desk, dragging his hurt leg behind him. After a few seconds of rest, he gathered enough energy to pull himself upright, using the desk as leverage.

"How may I help you?" L-160 enquired.

Luke stared at the protocol droid, wondering if he was serious, or whether his programmer had a sick sense of humor.

"Is Doctor Leeson working tonight?" he asked, his voice sounding strained and raspy.

"Wait one moment, sir, while I check."

"Please, hurry," Luke said, wincing. He couldn't hold out much longer.

The droid analysed his computer screen. "Doctor Leeson is seeing a patient right now. He should be available momentarily. Would you like to arrange an appointment?"

"Just tell him Luke Skywalker is here to see him," Luke said.

"Very well, sir. Please take a seat in the waiting room."

Luke sighed, and then sunk down against the desk, out of sight of the reception droid. He'd expended every last bit of energy in getting here in the first place. Trying to reach the waiting room chairs was just a step too far.

He closed his eyes, and rested against the desk, telling himself that his doctor would be here any minute. He'd give him a painkiller, and the medical droids would bind up his ankle, and he'd be okay.

Afterwards, he'd walk back home, and move the ships around in the hangar bay, so it wasn't immediately obvious the _Dunesea_ was missing. His father wouldn't notice for a few days. He'd be too busy with Imperial things. That would give him time to think up a good explanation.

"Luke?!"

Luke opened his eyes and saw his doctor, entering the reception area from down the main corridor.

"What in the ... L-160, what's going on here?"

"Luke Skywalker is here to see you," the droid explained.

"He's lying injured on the floor, for star's sake! Why didn't you call me immediately?"

"He was functioning perfectly a moment ago," the droid said, sounding puzzled.

"Come on," the doctor said, reaching down to assist Luke in standing. "Easy now. What happened?!"

"I, um—" Luke broke off as a wave of pain accompanied his attempt to stand. He leaned heavily on the doctor, who helped him into the nearest examination room. Luke limped over to the bed, and sat down with a sigh of relief. He swung his legs up in front of him, and two medical droids rolled forward immediately. Luke caught sight of his face in their shiny exteriors. There was a bleeding cut across his forehead, and a bruise on his cheek.

The droids began to remove his shirt, revealing more bumps and scrapes.

"Should I try and guess?" Doctor Leeson said, coming over with a syringe.

Luke cringed at the sight of it.

"It's a painkiller," he explained.

Luke quickly offered his arm and tried not to wince at the pain of the needle. "I had to eject out of a shuttle," he said, looking away.

"What?!" The doctor discarded the syringe, and returned with a medical scanner. One of the droids had removed Luke's boot, and was rolling up his pant leg.

"I was flying alone, out in the industrial district," Luke continued. "Then a fighter craft started shooting at me! I don't know why. I nearly made it back to Imperial City, but my shields were drained, and I had to eject."

"How did you walk all the way here on this?!" The doctor gestured at his ankle, and Luke saw it was badly swollen.

"With difficulty."

"I can imagine." The doctor ran the scanner over it a few times, and then studied the results. "It's not broken, just sprained," the doctor said, after making an inspection. "You are very lucky. We'll bind it up. If you apply bacta gel each night, it might just be healed in a week."

"A week?!"

Luke sighed, wondering how he was going to hide this from his father. The cut wasn't vital, he could comb his hair over it. But his father would spot a limp from a kilometer away.

The droid saw to his ankle, while Doctor Leeson proceeded to check Luke elsewhere for any other serious injuries. Once satisfied, he turned to talk to him.

"I'm going to contact your father. I'm assuming he doesn't know about this, or he'd be hovering around worrying about you and blaming himself."

"No!" Luke said, aghast. "You _can't_ tell him! Please! He's not even on Coruscant!"

The doctor chuckled. "Luke, I think he's going to notice anyway. He's not what I'd call oblivious, as far as your health is concerned."

"But the ship was destroyed! He designed that ship. It was a prototype, one of a kind. I wasn't even supposed to be flying it ..." Luke looked down, miserably. "He's going to kill me! Literally!"

"Luke," the doctor said, seriously, "I've known the pair of you since ... since before you even knew you were father and son. And I've noticed a few things about your father during that time, and he would never, ever harm you."

"You don't know what he's like when he's angry. Even if he doesn't kill me, he'll never forgive me for destroying it."

"He's forgiven you for a lot of things in the past."

"This is different," Luke said. "This is something he spent months modifying and designing." He paused, remembering. "We worked on it together," he said, quietly.

"He'll understand you didn't mean for this to happen."

"Please, at least give me some time to figure out how to break it to him. He's back tomorrow afternoon."

"All right, Luke," Doctor Leeson said. "He won't hear it from me, unless he asks. But you won't be able to keep this from him for long. It would be better just to come clean and tell him the truth."

"That's probably what the officer he murdered last week thought," Luke said, sadly.

"You're exhausted," the doctor said, gently. "You need a good night's rest. Things won't seem so bad tomorrow. Would you like a ride home?"

"Thank you," Luke said, gently testing his ankle on the floor. It couldn't take his weight, but it was feeling a little better. "You're a lifesaver."

* * *

After the doctor dropped him at the Imperial Palace, Luke dreamed of falling into bed and forgetting this day ever happened. That was a faint hope, however. It took half an hour to shuffle the ships in the hangar around, even with Threepio's help. Artoo had offered his own services in deleting the security logs and recordings, erasing any trace of the _Dunesea's_ departure.

He was woken up the next morning by Artoo beeping like a speeder alarm and prodding him with his grabbing appendage. He lifted his head from the pillow, wondering why he felt so disgusting. It soon became apparent that he'd slept in his clothes.

"Artoo, why did you have to wake me?" Luke complained.

He didn't need a translator to interpret Artoo's quick reply. He was going to be late for school.

"Okay, okay, I'll get up," Luke sighed.

He placed both feet on the floor and was met with a stabbing pain. His ankle hadn't made a miraculous overnight recovery, unfortunately.

"Artoo, can you pack my school bag?" Luke said, limping towards the refresher. "And tell the kitchen droids I need breakfast to go."

Having a shower took twice as long as normal, as he struggled to avoid getting the dressing wet. It also revealed lots of scrapes and bruises he didn't know he had. Still, he couldn't complain. At least he was in one piece. It was just starting to sink in how close he'd come to being a smear on the side of a building.

Had he been targeted specifically, or was it just some maniac in a fighter, out to kill? Did they know he'd survived? What if it was a bounty hunter, sent by some enemy of his father's?

Luke felt fear for a brief moment, and then pushed his concerns away. He wasn't going to stop living his life. If today was the last day he ever left his home, there wasn't much he could do to stop it.

He took the _Bloodfin_ to school, as it could be entirely controlled from the handle bars, taking any stress off his ankle. Ben took one look at him in their first class, and Luke could tell immediately from his expression that they'd be some questions.

"It's a long story," Luke said. "Tell you later. How did the interview go?"

"Great. All the preparation really paid off. They'll let me know by the end of next week."

It was some good news in an otherwise long and trying day. Ben wasn't the only one to notice he appeared to be at less than one hundred percent peak officially, and even Ophelia asked why he was walking with a limp.

"I … uh … slipped in the shower," he said quickly.

"Huh. I figured with you or it would be something like falling off the Imperial Palace roof while trying to abseil on to a balcony."

"For your information, the one time I tried that, it went off without a hitch."

She smiled and walked on ahead. Ben was walking slow to stay level with him as they made their way to the lunchroom. "So that's just the official story, right?"

Luke paused to rest by a drinking fountain, rubbing his head. The gesture made the cut on his forehead visible.

"And where did you get that?" Ben pointed at the cut. "Did you crash the _Bloodfin_ while racing with the Speedsters?"

"No."

"Playing with your father's dueling droids?"

"I wish. He might actually forgive me for that."

"This sounds bad," Ben said, as they walked on. He grinned in anticipation.

Luke glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then mumbled, "I destroyed the _Dunesea_."

The smile quickly disappeared from Ben's face. " _What_?! How?"

"After I dropped you off, I was attacked by another ship. The shields were drained, and I ejected just before it was destroyed."

"That's how you sprained your ankle? Stars, Luke, you're lucky to be alive!"

"I may not be, if my father finds out. He's coming back this afternoon. Maybe I should move in with you for a while."

"Don't worry about it," Ben said. "What's the worst he could do? Ground you?"

"Choke me to death," Luke said.

"Come on, you're his son."

As they came up to their usual lunch table, Luke sunk gratefully onto the bench. "Listen ... if I die, you can have the _Bloodfin_."

"Can I have the MX as well?" Ben asked, hopeful.

"I'm serious!"

"Then maybe you should skip the planet, and start a new life in the Outer Rim," Ben suggested. "You inherited your family moisture farm, right?"

Luke groaned. "The thought of that almost makes me want to take my chances with my father."

There was one good thing about his father's return. At least this meant the Emperor wouldn't be inviting him to come and learn more about the Force.

* * *

Luke stayed at the school library after the final class, deciding he might as well stall for as long as possible. As expected, his comlink began to beep shortly before 18-hundred. He tried to bribe Ben with cosmo crunchies, but his friend refused to answer it. When he finally pressed the button to receive the call, as expected, it lit up with an image of his father. Despite everything that had happened last time they'd spoken, and everything that would be said when he inevitably found out about the _Dunesea_ , Luke felt a sudden rush of emotion at the knowledge he had now returned.

Part of him wanted to do as Lev suggested, and tell him everything. Tell him how disgusted he still felt over Captain Yahza's death. Tell him how terrified he was at the thought of becoming someone who killed as easily as he'd seen his father do that night. How disturbed he'd been by his vision of the future after the Emperor's training, and how envious he was of the way Tyloid felt completely entitled to the power and privilege he had inherited. And most of all, tell him how he'd only barely survived an unexpected dogfight in the Industrial district.

Instead, he just mumbled one word. "Hi."

"Hello, Son. Where are you?"

"Just in the school library," Luke said. "I've got homework assignments due. You're back?"

"Yes, I returned this afternoon. I am about to go to a meeting at ISB, and then I am needed at the detention centre. I may be some time."

"That's okay," Luke said. "Ben and I were going to the mall for dinner, so I won't be back until later. I'll, uh … I'll probably see you tomorrow."

His father didn't take the opportunity to end the call. He appeared to be leaning forward slightly, as if he was studying the holo image.

"Is that a cut on your forehead?" he asked, suddenly.

Luke instantly reached up to adjust his fringe, wondering how in space his father had spotted that. He must be using the large projector in the conference room.

"Oh, it's nothing."

"You haven't been out on that speeder bike, have you?"

"Uh ..." Luke wondered if he should simply admit it was parked outside the school right now, and he was about to use it to drive to the mall. It could divert attention from the _Dunesea_. On the other hand, the school library wasn't the most private place for a comlink argument with his father. "I got the cut from a piece of debris that fell out of the sky." Answering a question with an answer to a different question was always a good trick. Besides, it was the truth, and luckily a reasonably common occurrence on Coruscant.

"Did you disinfect it?"

"Yes. Didn't you say you had a meeting?"

"Put some bacta on it before you go to sleep."

Luke resisted the almost overwhelming urge to roll his eyes.

"Sure."

"And we are going to have a talk about that speeder bike, young one."

Ben snickered at the sound of his father's nickname for him, causing Luke to hastily end the call and put the comlink under his jacket.

"I'd say you're looking at loss of flying privileges and grounded to the palace for at least two weeks," Ben said.

Luke could only rest his head on the study table.

* * *

When the sound of Luke's morning alarm filled his ears, his first thought was panic as he remembered everything that had occurred this week. Then he had to conclude he was still safe for the moment. If his father had noticed the _Dunesea_ was missing, he would be standing beside his bed, waiting for him to wake up. Probably with a few torture droids hovering behind him.

Luke tried not to think about such things as the day passed. His efforts were not successful. By the time the school day ended, he was just about ready to take Ben up on his moisture farming suggestion. To make matters worse, his ankle didn't feel any better. If he hadn't been under obligation to attend another senate lesson, he'd be seeing his doctor right now. He had a feeling he hadn't been resting his ankle as much as the doctor had meant him to. Either that, or the bacta gel wasn't doing its job. It felt like it was getting worse, rather than better.

Unfortunately, cancelling this senate lesson would only find its way back to his father. Ben had stayed behind at school to discuss his latest assignment with the science teacher, leaving Luke to go to the senate by himself. He had a feeling it would make the lesson far more boring, without his friend to ask questions and otherwise occupy the professor's attention.

After limping his way to the usual viewing box, Luke slumped down into a seat, glad to rest his ankle. The viewscreens showed a largely empty senate, and, along with the absent professor, made Luke wonder if he'd come on the right day.

After a few minutes, a royal guard entered the room.

"Mr Skywalker."

Luke glanced up.

"Professor Graphas sends his apologies. He will not be coming today. However, someone else is taking his place. He will be here in twenty minutes."

"Okay. Thanks." Luke stood up, deciding he might as well go to the cafeteria and refuel. Afterwards, he could go to a refresher, and rebind his ankle. By that time, the professor's assistant, or whoever he'd sent in his place, should be here.

He boarded a crowded elevator out in the corridor, and rode up with an exotic group of lifeforms, doubtless from all corners of the galaxy. Half of them exited at the cafeteria level, and Luke followed behind a couple of Devorians, who were arguing heatedly about some sedition suppression something.

As they passed through the double doors, the first thing Luke saw was a brown-haired girl sitting alone on a tall stool by a window table. Everything else in the room immediately disappeared.

It was a full ten seconds before a nudge from behind knocked him out of his trance. A loud grunting and clicking sounded in his ear. Luke didn't need to speak the language to know he was being told to stop blocking the entrance.

He quickly went over to a vending machine and picked up a frozen milk drink. A quick analysis of the room revealed an empty seat two spans away from Leia. Close enough to talk to her, but not close enough to be presumptuous.

He walked around in a wide-circle, and then slid into the seat, being careful to look away from Leia. Once he'd made himself comfortable in the seat, he glanced sideways. Leia was staring distantly out at the sprawling city, idly stirring a hot drink.

"Hi again," Luke said, trying to give the impression of casual confidence.

Leia didn't react. Either she didn't hear him, or she was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

Luke frowned, and then made to shift one seat closer. Maybe he'd misjudged the right distance ...

In an instant, there was someone standing between him and Leia. Someone wearing black and holding a blaster.

Luke quickly jumped back in shock. His injured ankle collapsed under his weight, and he ended up hitting his head on the stool.

"What in the—?!"

Leia's voice. In a moment, she was standing over him, staring in shock. She then turned to the bodyguard—at least, Luke hoped it was a guard, and not Leia's boyfriend. If so, he was dead.

"Captain Jares! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm sorry, your highness. Your father's orders."

"I'm more than capable of defending myself, thank you all the same! Especially from innocent strangers. Go away!"

"Your highness, I—"

"GO!"

The man gave Luke one last glance, and then walked away. Leia watched until the cafeteria doors had closed behind him, and then she turned back to regard Luke.

Luke quickly climbed to his feet.

"Uh ... sorry about that. I was just ... here. There, actually." Luke pointed to his previously occupied seat. "And you were over there, and I thought I'd say hi."

"You look familiar," Leia said, going back to her own seat.

"Yes, we ... uh ... we met the other day."

Leia glanced at him again. "Luke, right?"

"Yes." He felt a rush of joy that she remembered his name.

"Did you say you were the son of a senator?"

He hadn't said that. He hadn't said anything about his family at all. But he found himself nodding. He was the son of a senator, after all. "Yes, and I'm taking extra lessons in political studies here."

She smiled. "I remember now. How is that going for you?"

"Great. How have you been? I mean, how have things been for you in the senate?"

"To be honest, Luke, it's been an absolute nightmare this week. We had a big vote the other night and I'm still trying to find out the details of every law that was passed. The Empire is using recent Rebel attacks to reintroduce legislation designed to further restrict freedom of speech in the senate and limit our power."

Luke stopped short of asking how the senate could possibly be less powerful than it already was. He doubted Leia would appreciate it.

"They appointed a puppet senator from Quasher to get the votes needed to pass it," Leia continued.

"Quasher," Luke said, feigning ignorance. "Small place, right?"

"Yes, terrible things are happening there. The royal family have endorsed slavery in order to maximize their mining profits."

"Slavery?" Luke said, disgusted. Tyloid had never mentioned that. Or had he? Thinking back, perhaps he had, and he just hadn't understood.

She nodded. "I have many friends in the anti-slavery Universal Freedom movement. They started a petition against the Quasher senator's appointment in protest over the situation. It gained the support of over 2000 senators, but it wasn't enough."

"I'm sorry about all this," Luke said, carefully sitting back on the stool. "I wish I could do something to help." He frowned. "If you had power … I mean, if you had more power than you do currently, what would be the first thing you would change in the Empire?"

"That's a good question," she said, smiling. "Well … I'd have to say I'd bring back the right to tell the truth. There are so many lies and cover-ups. How are we supposed to do what's best for the citizens of this galaxy when we can't tell them the truth?"

Luke felt a twinge of guilt. Did Leia have to use the word cover-ups?

"For example," she continued. "I know there was a recent attack on an Imperial naval base. Every senator in this building knows it. The public know it—it was reported on several underground HoloNet channels. But will the Empire admit it? No. Instead, in about half an hour, we will be forced to listen to a report about how safe, secure and peaceful the galaxy is. How can anything change for the better when we pretend nothing is wrong?"

"Maybe the Empire is scared about how the public will react if they admit to what happened," Luke said, fidgeting with his drink. This subject was a little too close to home.

"That's no excuse for lies," Leia said. "Cover-ups and denials will only make the public suspicious. Unfortunately, truth is a foreign concept to every member of the Imperial hierarchy."

"But sometimes you have to lie, right?" Luke said, quickly. "I'm sure you've had to lie sometimes."

"Never to maintain power."

"Ever lied to your parents?"

Leia smiled. "That doesn't count. What parents don't know can't worry them."

"But maybe it's the same principle," Luke said. "What the public don't know can't hurt them."

"But the public isn't the Empire's parent, Luke. The Empire has power over the public, not vice versa. And despite what they say, I'm not convinced the Empire has the public's best interests in mind when they take steps to suppress the truth."

Luke nodded, still looking down at his drink.

"So what would you change?" she asked.

"Oh." Luke looked up, meeting her warm brown eyes. "A lot of things. I don't know which one I'd change first. But near the top would be ending all torture and executions. And yes, making slavery illegal."

Leia actually looked impressed. "It sounds like sentient rights is close to your heart."

"I just believe in treating people decently," Luke said. "And looking out for each other. There's no need for all this cruelty."

She actually reached out to touch his arm then, causing Luke to feel a wave of … something. Something he couldn't explain. It was that connection again.

"It's been a pleasure speaking with you, Luke. We must talk again sometime. Now I'm due to return to the pod."

Luke smiled, and glanced idly at the wall chronometer.

"Oh stars," he said, jumping up. "I was supposed to meet someone ten minutes ago."

"I'm sorry I kept you," Leia said, walking with him towards the doors.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I just have so much on my mind lately."

Outside the cafeteria, they passed the bodyguard again, and Luke quickly backed away from Leia.

"I hope I see you again soon," he said, entering a nearby elevator.

"If not, good luck with your studies," she said.

He met Leia's gaze briefly, feeling the twinge in his mind return. It was broken as the elevator doors slid closed, removing her from his sight.

A minute later, he realized he hadn't pressed the button for his floor. By the time he finally limped into the viewing room, he was sure his ten minutes late had extended to fifteen minutes late.

"Sorry," he said, sitting down. There were two black armchairs in the room, both facing the main viewscreen which showed the Senate proceedings. "I went to get a drink, and then I saw someone I knew, and next second—"

He broke off, a familiar cold sensation tugging at his mind. He glanced at the other chair, and found himself looking at the last person he'd ever expected to see.

"You! Uh ... I mean ... your highness! I didn't think _you_ would be here."

"It is of no consequence," the Emperor said, raising a corpse-pale hand from the depths of the chair.

Luke silently wondered what in the galaxy was behind all this. He had a funny feeling Professor Graphas had been perfectly able to be here today.

"I do like to stop by the Senate occasionally," the Emperor continued. "Very nostalgic."

Luke didn't reply. He was too busy trying to shift his chair away from the Emperor without making it obvious. Unfortunately, it was locked to the floor.

"I remember when your father used to visit me here," the oily voice continued. "I used to teach him about politics. He then went on to forget it all the next day, but I like to think our conversations played a small part in influencing him to make the right decision in the end."

The main viewscreen lit with an image of the senate chairperson, announcing the first order of business.

"So, how have you been enjoying your lessons?" the Emperor said, turning his head to look at him. Luke could barely make out his face, as the lights were dim and it was hidden in the shadow of a black hood.

"I've learned a lot," Luke said. "But some things still confuse me."

"Such as?"

"I wonder why there is a Senate when you make all the decisions, your highness."

"That is a very good question, Luke."

Luke wondered when they'd become on a first name basis. Although, he was fairly certain the Emperor wouldn't invite him to call him by his first name.

"Let me tell you about something called democracy. The thing the Rebels are willing to fight and die for. It is possibly one of the greatest frauds ever invented."

He paused to chuckle. Luke wondered whether he'd missed the joke, or if it was still coming.

"You see, politics is one of the fundamental struggles of existence. We are all hierarchical by nature—we demand leadership. Leader and subordinate, master and apprentice ... seen everywhere, from the smallest insect to the most intelligent lifeforms in the galaxy."

Luke nodded.

"But standing in opposition to this is our desire for independence ... put simply, we hate being told what to do. You, young Skywalker, are a good example of this."

"That's not ... I—"

The Emperor waved a hand. "Let me explain. Your whole life you longed for a parent. You longed for understanding. You longed for guidance. Finding your father was the most significant event in your life to date."

Luke nodded, silently.

"But living with him isn't all your fantasies promised it would be. You hate his rules restricting your freedom to fly when and where you please. You feel oppressed with all his demands that you be home at a certain time. And what of his prying into your activities and whereabouts? The fear of his reaction when he discovers you have broken one of his all-important rules?"

"Okay, I get the picture," Luke said, feeling uncomfortable. "Your highness," he added.

"On the other hand, if he never made any rules, you would feel so insecure, you would seek another parent. A stronger leader."

Luke personally thought he'd get on very well with his father if he never made any rules. The destruction of the _Dunesea_ wouldn't even be an issue.

"So it is with the galaxy. They demand a leader, but despise being led. They want security, yet insist on freedom. If only there was some way to have it all."

"A compromise?" Luke suggested.

"Better. What if there was a way of making the public believe _they_ were making the rules. That they led themselves? That every directive handed down from on high was the result of their own wishes?"

The Emperor paused. Luke found himself mentally willing him to go on. This was more interesting than Professor Graphas's dry descriptions of senate procedure.

"Enter democracy. Quite possibly the most brilliant lie ever invented. A fantasy that at once allays people's fears about who is _really_ in charge, yet gives them security."

"Who _is_ really in charge in a democracy?" Luke asked.

"That." The Emperor pointed towards Luke's pocket, and a small credit coin rose into the air. It hovered until Luke grabbed it. "The almighty credit. Money. Pure and simple. Believe me, Luke, I worked in a democracy for fifty years. Corporate interest groups had more influence over policy than a billion votes ever did. Bribery was so common, it even had its own section on a senator's tax return. When I was a young senator, I vowed and declared I would reform the system. I would create a new type of government, a better type. Peace and security would rule this great institution, not greed and deception. And with the senate deprived of any real power, so it became a reality."

"But what about all you were saying before," Luke said. "About people hating being told what to do?"

"Ah yes. And so we have a galaxy ruled by solid principles and the betterment of every individual in mind. Yet we still have the Rebels."

Luke had never heard him sound so sad before. He was on the verge of changing the subject, when the Emperor did so anyway.

"But we are working on a permanent solution. Time can heal all wounds. Meanwhile, we will maintain our hope in the future ... and in our next generation."

He turned his head to smile at Luke, showing his teeth.

It occurred to Luke that this might be a good time to bring up some of his concerns.

"I'd like to help you bring about peace in the galaxy," Luke said. "But there are things which go on that I can't support."

"Oh?" The Emperor sounded even more gentle now. "Please, tell me. I am always open to hearing your concerns."

This was a better response than Luke could have hoped for.

"I want all the torture and executions to stop. And the way people just get thrown in prison for protesting. It isn't necessary."

The Emperor was silent in response, and Luke wondered if he'd been too general.

"Here's a good example. I just found out that slavery is widespread on Quasher. They use slaves in their mines. I know the Empire is negotiating for use of their mining resources right now. Could we tell Quasher that they must free all their slaves and pay all workers a fair wage?"

The Emperor actually chuckled. "Who told you that, my young friend?"

"Um …" He didn't want to mention Leia's name. "The Quasher senator, Tyloid, mentioned some things."

"No, not about the slaves. Who told you the Empire was _negotiating_ with them?"

He said the word 'negotiate' like it was insulting.

"Oh. I just assumed, because the Grand Vizier said we were entertaining the Quasher royals at the palace because their mines were needed for military projects."

"That is all true. But there is no negotiation. You see, young man, their pitiful planet is already mine. Their mining resources are mine. They will submit to me or they will be destroyed. It is quite simple."

Luke felt a cold chill run through him.

"Perhaps I should allow you to have a role in deciding the fate of their planet, as a learning exercise. Yes, this could be very interesting."

"I don't think I'm ready for that," Luke said, quickly.

"Nonsense. You know far more than you realise. I want you to write a plan of action for me. A business case. Your goals are to secure trade with the Quasher government under the terms most favourable to the Empire. Whatever else you want to achieve is up to you. You may wish to overthrow the illegitimate royal family and install an Imperial Overseer. Or perhaps you might wish to arm the slaves. You may seek the guidance and advice of anyone you need. In a month's time, the Quasher embassy is hosting a grand party to formally announce their new partnership with the Empire. Once it is over, I will review your plan and, if it meets with my approval, I will implement it."

Luke was feeling way over his head. "Um … can I ask my father for help?"

The Emperor chuckled. "You may ask him for advice. Tell him it's an assignment from Professor Graphas. But I'm afraid you may not agree with his approach. Lord Vader tends to be very action oriented, shall we say."

"I like action too," Luke said. "But I don't want thousands of people to be killed in a big war."

"What if that's necessary to free these slaves you mentioned?"

Luke could feel a headache coming on. "I don't know."

"Leadership is difficult, young man. Perhaps this exercise will give you more appreciation for it. And perhaps teach you to be a little more sympathetic to your father."

Luke gestured at the view screen, seeing a senator had taken the floor. He really wanted to talk about something else. "What are they talking about?" Luke asked.

"It is of no importance. I believe you have already learned all you can from the senate, my young friend. You will move on to more important matters. Perhaps you would like to undergo similar lessons at the military headquarters at this time next week. They can help with your project."

Luke cringed. His most vivid memory of the military headquarters was seeing Captain Yahza falling to his knees.

"But there is no rush. This assignment will keep you busy."

Luke nodded, quickly. "Uh ... does that mean I can leave now, sir?" This was a good turn of events. He could go and see his doctor.

"If you have no further questions."

Luke quickly stood up ... and was rewarded by sinking straight back down into the chair. He cringed in pain and reached down to grab his ankle.

"You're hurt," the Emperor said, with a mix of concern and surprise.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Luke said, rubbing his leg. "Just a sore ankle."

"I am surprised your father let you leave the palace."

"He doesn't know."

"Really? Am I to understand this was the result of something your father would ... disapprove of?"

Luke stared straight ahead, wondering if he'd just talked himself into a hole.

"Uh ... no, it's not ... not quite like—"

The Emperor chuckled. "You remind me so much of him at times. It is fascinating to watch."

"You mean he sprained his ankle and tried to hide it?" Luke enquired, glancing at the Emperor.

"I can't remember that precise event, but I do remember one occasion ... your father always loved to fly, you see, but the life of a Jedi didn't allow for joyriding. One afternoon, your father decided to sneak out in a Jedi starfighter belonging to one of the senior council members, Mace Windu."

Luke smirked. "That sounds ... understandable."

"The next morning, Master Windu noticed the fuel in his starfighter had mysteriously halved. Your father came running to me, needing a fast alibi as to his whereabouts."

"Did you give him one?"

"Of course. And I would be willing to do the same for you, if you should ever require such a thing. I consider it a Skywalker family tradition."

"Well," Luke said, "I may have to take you up on that." He paused for a moment, but then it all came spilling out. "I destroyed one of his ships. He hasn't noticed that it's missing yet, but I guess it's only a matter of time. Maybe I should just tell him and be done with it."

"Why? It would only make him angry."

"Maybe he'll be angrier that I didn't tell him."

"Only if he should find out."

"He will," Luke said. "He'll go to take the ship out for a flight and find it's missing. I'll be the first person he'll suspect!"

"You are so very young, my friend. A situation is rarely that simple. Do not worry about this any more, Luke. I will show you how easy it is to manipulate life to your liking."

Luke stared blankly for a moment, wondering what in the galaxy this creepy old man was talking about. His father had always said the Emperor was powerful, but powerful enough to change reality itself? Impossible. But he didn't dare voice his thoughts. The Emperor would likely take skepticism as an insult.

"Thank you, your highness," Luke said, finally. He didn't know what else to say.

* * *


	7. Non Replaceable

Unfortunately, Doctor Leeson wasn't working at the medical center that evening. But L-160 appeared to have been reprogrammed, and immediately summoned a medical droid to see him. The droid bound up his ankle again, and suggested resting for two days.

Luke would have readily agreed, if it had been possible.

He was getting favouring one leg down to a fine art by now, anyway. Upon arriving back home, he limped across the hangar bay floor, trying not to notice the _Dunesea's_ absence. The elevator ride gave him an opportunity to stretch out and locate his father. An immediate response followed.

_Hello, Son_.

He was home. Luke sighed, and braced himself to walk without a limp. It shouldn't be difficult to manage the short distance from the elevator to his bedroom.

When the doors slid open, there was no sign of his father. Luke decided not to risk it, however. As predicted, when he was within a meter of his bedroom, his father emerged from his own private room.

"Hi," Luke mumbled. He opened his bedroom door and walked straight in.

His father followed him. Luke sat down on the bed and looked up. "Is something wrong?"

"Where have you been?" his father asked.

"At the senate," Luke said. "The lessons. Remember?"

"I see. How are they progressing?"

"Fine."

His father didn't reply. His breathing filled the awkward silence, making Luke feel uncomfortable.

"Well," Luke said, finally, "if that's all ..."

"How was the rest of your day?" his father enquired.

"Great," Luke said, doing his best to stay calm. His father would pick up nervousness in a heartbeat.

"Then everything is well?"

"Yes," Luke said, starting to feel annoyed. "Didn't we cover this yesterday?"

"Why didn't you return my calls when I was away?"

"I was busy."

"You seem upset with me," his father noted. "Is this about the incident you witnessed?"

Luke felt an old pain return. " _Incident_? You mean the murder?"

"A necessary action to prevent further loss of life. I don't expect you to understand yet, but—"

"No, I understand," Luke said, standing up. "You enjoy cold-blooded murder, but you don't want to admit it, so you pretend it's all about saving the galaxy. Lie to yourself all you want, but don't expect me to believe it. Or was choking my mother about saving lives too?"

His father stood completely still for a moment, as if in shock.

Luke met his gaze squarely, pushing away any thoughts of regret. It felt _good_ to finally say it.

Finally, his father turned and left without another word. Luke watched until the last edge of the cape had disappeared through the doors, and then he flopped back on the bed. He was so tired, he couldn't even be bothered taking off his boots.

* * *

_Luke traced his finger down a scar on the back of his non-artificial hand. He didn't recall where he'd received that particular one. He did know the person who'd given it to him was dead._

_That's all that mattered. He resumed tightening the bolt on the starfighter engine, ignoring the dripping syn-oil._

_"Luke."_

_Luke looked up from his work, seeing his father._

_"What?"_

_"I thought you were going to accompany me to the senate."_

_"I changed my mind," Luke said. "Decided I'd rather do this instead."_

_"I see."_

_"Your presence is distracting."_

_"I apologize." His father sounded sarcastic._

_"Is there anything else?" Luke asked, pointedly._

_His father turned away. "You have been distant since I returned. I realize I have not been here in six months. It takes time to get used to each other again. But you give the impression you don't wish to spend any time with me."_

_"Boy, now there's some supernatural perception." Luke smirked._

_"And this disrespectful attitude you seem to have adopted during my time away," his father said, pointing at him. "It is not acceptable."_

_Luke stood up. "You can't tell me what is and what is not acceptable anymore."_

_"Watch me."_

_Luke tossed the hydrospanner so it bounced off the ship._

* * *

The clang caused Luke to open his eyes. He looked around rapidly, taking in the room. His bedroom ... he wasn't in a ship hangar. His father wasn't here. Another Force vision.

Luke became increasingly frightened as the content of the dream rushed through his mind. That was _horrible_. He'd never treat his father like that, no matter how badly they were arguing. More proof that whatever these dreams were, they were definitely not the future.

Luke considered it for a moment, and then climbed out of bed. His bedside chronometer said it was just after six am. With any luck, his father was still here. He had to apologize for his remark last night. The dream was probably some kind of warning.

In the corridor, he banged loudly on his father's door, not bothering with the door-com. When there was no reply, he opened the doors and barged on in. It was immediately obvious there was no one here.

The ship hangar. He could be in the ship hangar ... Luke limped down the corridor to the elevator, noting that his ankle felt a little better, despite being stiff after being stuck in a boot all night.

The hangar was eerily silent when he arrived. He wandered down the rows of ships, looking left and right for a hint of black.

"Father?"

The only response was a maintenance droid whirring into life.

Luke turned back, sensing his father wasn't here. He'd have to try his comlink. Making it sound normal would take some effort. The last thing he wanted to do was make his father suspicious.

A large familiar shape caught Luke's eye, and he came to an abrupt stop. He blinked in amazement, scarcely believing the sight in front of him. The _Dunesea_ ...

No, it couldn't be! He was either still dreaming or going crazy. Either way, this was impossible.

Luke walked a few steps forward, and banged the palm of his hand against the side. A loud clang followed, and he withdrew his fingers from the cold metal. Solid and real. But how?

After a minute of blank staring, the Emperor's words replayed in Luke's mind. So this was what the old man had meant. Somehow, he'd produced a replacement, visually indistinguishable from the other. Not only that, but he'd had it delivered and placed in the ship hangar without any disturbance at all.

Luke turned away, too unsettled to investigate further. This was downright creepy.

* * *

It was nearing lunchtime when Vader flew into the ship hangar. His morning had not been going well. He'd thought to occupy himself in interrogating the recent Rebel prisoners, in a bid to avoid dwelling on his deteriorating relationship with Luke. Instead, he'd been so distracted, a prisoner had actually pointed out that he was not only addressing him by the wrong name, but asking him the same questions he'd already answered.

He'd killed the man for his insolence, but it had done little to alleviate his mood.

He should have been more careful with Luke. Of course his son would have tried to follow him to the military command centre when he knew there were battle recordings on offer. The boy wasn't ready to accept such harsh realities of leadership, and all it had done was remind him of his worst crime against the boy's mother.

Padmé. She had not accepted the demands the Dark Side placed on a Sith Lord who had sacrificed everything in exchange for its power. Was it really a surprise that Luke could not either? They would inevitably drift apart. Luke no longer had need for him now that he was almost an adult.

He rested in the speeder for a moment, staring out through the glass at the multitude of ships. The number of times he and his son had worked side by side in here, working out their differences through a common love of flying and machinery. Were those days a thing of the past?

Vader considered it for a moment, and then pushed the speeder door open. If he wasn't careful, he was going to start getting sentimental. Perhaps some dueling practice would restore his focus.

On the way towards the elevator, he idly picked up his comlink, recalling that he'd switched it off while at the detention center. Having a comlink beeping in the middle of an interrogation was never a desirable situation.

As soon as he switched it on, it displayed a flashing message. Ten missed calls, and one recorded message.

Vader stopped and quickly set it to play. Had something happened? The last thing the Empire needed was another Rebel attack.

The projector lit up with a small image of Luke.

"Hi ... I tried to find you, but you're not home, and I have to go to school. I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said last night. I was tired and ... no, that's no excuse. I said something horrible, and I'm sorry. I guess I was angry, and it just slipped out. I don't agree with what you did to the officer, but I still love you. You'll always be my father, and I'll always be your son, no matter what."

The holographic Luke paused for a breath. He fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, and then reached up to stop the message.

"I'll see you later," he said, before disappearing.

Vader stared at the blank projector, feeling a mix of relief and confusion. Part of him wanted to send an acerbic reply telling his son to kindly leave the l-word out of any future apologies, because it was wasted on him. Another part was already considering giving his brilliant son a gift. Perhaps another new speeder ... or perhaps he could relax that rule about letting the boy fly alone. He'd been whining about that for a while now.

And speaking of flying ... Vader paused beside the _Dunesea_ , noting how clean it was. Luke must have given the surface a polish while he'd been away. Its smooth lines and gleaming white surface were a pleasure to behold.

"Lord Vader!"

Vader looked down the row of ships, seeing an assistant walking quickly towards him. He came to attention.

"General Garblicon wished to confirm your meeting this afternoon at military HQ."

"Tell him I will be there shortly after 14-hundred."

"Yes, sir. The Ilis regional fleet reported a Rebel cell discovery at 1123, with immediate engagement. We're monitoring the regular updates. All appears to be going well. We're also waiting for clarification on the state of Governor Herow. He was reported dead, most likely by assassination, but we received an update ten minutes ago that suggested reports of his death may have been exaggerated."

"We can only hope to the contrary," Vader said.

"And finally, sir ... the manager of the Border Zone mall called to say one of your ships has been parked on their landing pad for three days. They wanted thousands of credits in parking fees. The security office insisted there were no ships missing, so I sent someone out to investigate."

"And?"

"I think you should see for yourself, sir."

Vader followed the man towards the other end of the hangar, curious as to what he would see. When he came within sight of the ship, he first thought it had to be a mistake. Underneath the blackened, buckled and cracked hull, it looked like the _Dunesea_. Same angular cockpit, same folded wings.

But it couldn't be the _Dunesea_. He'd just been looking at the _Dunesea_. It was in immaculate condition, parked a short way down the side of the hangar.

"What made this manager think this ship was mine?" Vader asked.

"The computer's registry, sir. It survived intact."

"And what is the ship's name listed as?"

"The _Dunesea_."

"If this is the _Dunesea_ , then what is that ship over there?" Vader said, gesturing back at the other ship.

"Based on my last discussion with the security officer investigating the matter, I believe it to be another prototype, sir."

"Are you saying that someone took my ship—" he gestured at the wreck. "Crashed it, and then had it replaced with an identical copy?"

"It ... it is starting to seem that way, sir."

One word entered Vader's mind. _Luke_.

"I suspected Luke, at first," the lieutenant continued, echoing Vader's thoughts. "But I don't believe Luke would have the resources to have that second prototype delivered here."

"What do the security logs show? Every flight in and out of this hangar is recorded, is it not?"

"The security team is still investigating, sir."

"It takes less than a minute to recall security footage. I could do it myself from any terminal in this room."

"Normally, yes, sir. But the logs appear to have been tampered with. Any records of the _Dunesea's_ departure ... or the second prototype's arrival ... have been removed."

Vader was walking around the wreck while the lieutenant was talking. The front windshield was completely smashed. The cockpit was a burned out mess of exploded computer panels and blackened chairs.

"This ship was attacked," Vader said, gesturing at the blaster burns along the remains of the side wing.

"Another mystery, sir."

Vader stared at the wreck, imagining how horrible it would be if Luke actually had been flying this thing. But no pilot could have survived such a crash without extensive injury. He'd seen his son last night, and he was in good health. And the lieutenant was right. Luke could not procure something as classified as a prototype ship.

"A mystery I want solved," Vader said, leaving no room for protest. "When I return, I want a full and complete report as to what happened to this ship, or someone is going to pay for this security breach with their life."

He walked away, not waiting for acknowledgement.

* * *

"I don't believe it," Ben whispered.

Luke looked up to make sure their politics teacher was still occupied with a student in the front row. He was safe to answer, for now.

"I swear it's the truth. You can come over and see it, if you want. It's a perfect copy."

"Maybe it's just the shell. Are you sure it has an engine? Can it actually fly?"

Luke shrugged. "I wasn't about to fly it again. Besides, the Emperor wouldn't go to all that trouble only to send over a shell."

"So you trust the Emperor now? A month ago you said he reminded you of a moulding piece of fruit," Ben said.

"I never said that," Luke said, hastily, as a student at a nearby desk glanced over.

He resumed reading the assigned work for a moment, and then spoke quietly.

"I guess it is pretty weird, though."

"Weird? Creepy, more like it. What does he want? It sounds like he's trying to get on your good side. Gain your trust."

"Why would the most powerful person in the galaxy need my trust?"

They fell silent as the teacher glanced in their direction. There was only ten minutes to the end of the school day, but with exam season creeping closer by the day, 'there's a lot you can do in ten minutes' seemed to be the motto around here.

After class, they made their way towards the landing pad. Ben was silent, and Luke knew he was mulling over everything. Everything he'd told him, at least. If the Emperor didn't want him to tell his father about the Force training, he certainly wouldn't want him telling Ben. But the fear of his friend's reaction was a far more pressing reason for his silence. The thought of seeing the same confusion in Ben's eyes that he'd witnessed in his supposed future-vision was unsettling.

"Are we going to the library?" Luke asked, as they pulled open the speeder doors.

"I was going to study at home," Ben said, tossing his bag into the back seat. "I've got the place to myself. My dad is still on evening shifts."

Something occurred to Luke as they rose from the school landing pad.

"Maybe you should ask your father."

"I'll remember that next time we're on speaking terms," Ben said, staring out the window. "Ask him what, exactly?"

"About the Emperor ... and me. See if he knows anything about why he's being nice to me."

"The Emperor could be plotting to kill you, and my father wouldn't breathe a word."

Luke glanced over in shock. "But ... he likes me, doesn't he?"

"He loves you. But being a royal guard is more than a job for him. It's like a spiritual calling. He'd sacrifice his life before he'd betray the Emperor. He'd even sacrifice my life. They're all like that. It's how they've been trained."

Luke was shaking his head in disbelief. "No one could be that loyal."

"If any guard is even suspected of disloyalty—even _suspected_ —they're executed, no questions asked. It's happened to a few in the past. It's not a job you get into unless you can dedicate your heart and soul to it."

Luke was feeling uncomfortable. "Forget my idea. You're right. I could never ask him to risk everything for what's probably nothing."

Ben wasn't paying attention. "And he can't understand why I was never interested in a government job."

Luke brought the speeder down to land. "How about we watch some holovid before we work?"

"Maybe _I_ will," Ben said, grabbing his belongings from the back. "You should go home and make sure that fake ship has an engine."

"There's not much I can do about it if it doesn't!"

"Imagine if your father decided to go for a flight in it, and it didn't even start ... I think you'd have been better off with no ship there at all."

"Maybe I'm just tired of this whole deception," Luke sighed. "I shouldn't have told the Emperor anything about this."

"I'm not saying you should confess," Ben said, hastily. "This is your father we're talking about. Go home and make sure the Emperor's ship is all he said it would be. If it is, you're fine. If not ... get rid of it."

"Maybe I could chop it up with a lightsaber and push it into the trash compactor," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "No one would notice me doing that. I think I actually preferred your idea about starting a new life in the Outer Rim."

But in spite of his reluctance, he had a strange hunch that he should go home, and it wasn't connected to Ben's suggestion about checking the fake _Dunesea_. He was starting to feel embarrassed about the message he'd left on his father's comlink, the product of a strange dream that left him panicking. His father probably thought he was cracking under the stress of his final school year.

Maybe he should return to the palace, if only to reassure his easily worried parent that he still had some shreds of sanity left. If this _Dunesea_ saga would somehow solve itself, he might gain back a few more.

He said goodbye to Ben, and launched again into the busy Coruscant sky. As he'd often done since the accident, he found himself watching the other ships with suspicion, half expecting to see the killer ship again. But he knew it was irrational. If they'd meant to finish him off, they could have done it that night in the industrial district. Or perhaps they thought they had.

When he landed in the ship hangar, the first thing Luke noticed was a serious looking Lev talking with two junior security officers. As Luke approached, the other two men left, leaving Lev alone. He was reading something on a datapad.

"Hi!" Luke said, brightly.

Lev jumped. "Luke! You startled me."

"Everything okay?" Luke said. Lev was not easily startled. He was usually the picture of military composure.

"It will be if you can explain that," Lev said, gesturing over his shoulder with the datapad.

Luke turned his head, and then it was his turn to be surprised. A small towing vehicle sat below the second-level conference room windows. Connected to the towing vehicle was a blackened, broken wreck of a prototype shuttle.

"Where did that come from?!"

"The Border Zone mall. They said it had been parked on their landing pad for three days. Someone's been hacking into the hangar logs, there's an identical copy ship sitting over there—" he gestured down the ship line with the datapad. "—no one has any idea why, and your father is expecting an explanation in two minutes."

"From who?" Luke said, swallowing a very dry throat.

"From those two officers I was just talking to. But I've offered to go if they can't come up with anything better than this report."

Lev gestured at the datapad, which appeared to be largely blank. Luke stared in surprise.

"You should stay in your room," Lev added, firmly. He had caught sight of his expression. "No sense hanging around here. It won't be a pleasant evening." He gave him a slight push towards the elevators.

"No!" Luke said, suddenly. "No, don't go near him! Don't let anyone go near him!"

"Luke—"

"Listen, it was all my fault. _All_ of it."

"You mean the ship?"

"I was just taking Ben to an interview ... then a ship attacked me, I thought it had been completely destroyed!"

Lev looked from him to the fake _Dunesea_ , disbelief clear on his face.

"Are you saying you arranged for that other ship to be delivered?"

Luke was about to deny any involvement, and pin it all on the Emperor. But a second later, he realized that was impossible. He couldn't admit the Emperor was involved. That would expose the secret meetings.

"I'm sorry," Luke said. "Just tell everyone I'm sorry."

He began to walk towards the elevators, knowing he couldn't waste any more time talking with Lev. It was time to face his father.

"Luke?"

Luke glanced back.

"Who attacked you?"

Luke could only shrug.

He spent the short elevator ride trying to think of a good opening sentence. One that summed up both his total remorse and his understanding of the serious nature of his mistake. Luke idly wondered if these were the same thoughts that had run through Captain Yahza's mind as he'd gone to face his father.

The idea almost caused him to lose his nerve as he stood outside the conference room doors. But he pushed it from his mind, and tried to remind himself of all the times his father had forgiven him for other disasters as he'd grown up.

The doors slid open slowly. Luke's gaze immediately fell on his father. The man was standing by the viewing windows, with his fingers entwined behind his cape. After a few long seconds, he glanced in Luke's direction.

Luke stepped forward. The doors closed, trapping him in the room.

"Uh ... hi," he said, deciding to ease into the topic of destroyed ships gradually.

"Son."

"Did you ... did you get my message?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, it was a little ... emotional," Luke said, staring down at his boots. He twisted his sore ankle from side to side, noting that it was feeling much better. "I ... I had a bad dream, and ..."

"Consider it past, Son. I will speak with you later. I am waiting for a report."

"Ah yes, about the _Dunesea_ ," Luke said, continuing to stare at his boot. "About that ... it was me."

No response. Just awkward silence. Luke couldn't bring himself to stretch out to test his father's mood.

"What I mean is ... I'm responsible. No one else, especially not the security officers."

His father was silent for another few breathing cycles, and then he spoke.

"Are you trying to tell me," he said, slowly, "that you took my ship for a flight, _destroyed_ it, and then altered the hangar logs and procured a replacement ship?"

"I didn't destroy it," Luke said. "It was someone else who did that. Someone in a starfighter carrying an arsenal like a Star Destroyer. I ejected to safety, and I thought the ship had blown up and—"

His father was crossing the distance between them, and Luke backed away, raising his hands.

"I'm sorry! Please don't be angry!"

His father didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed Luke's right forearm, and then pulled up the sleeve with his other hand. The action revealed purplish bruises, and the faint traces of cuts.

"You were injured! How badly?"

"I'm fine!" Luke insisted. "I went to the medical center."

"Someone attempted to kill you and nearly succeeded, you were injured badly enough to need medical treatment ... and you did not tell me?!"

"I just did tell you!" Luke protested.

"Three days after the event!"

"I was afraid you'd overreact!"

"How could I possibly _over_ react to an attempt on your life." He released Luke's arm, and proceeded to point at him. "Go to your room. Now! I will _deal_ with you later."

Luke couldn't help but think it was a long time since his father had sent him to his room. He turned immediately and reached for the door release.

"And tell that officer who is lurking in the corridor to come here," his father added, having turned back to the viewing windows.

Luke felt his stomach churn, but he didn't argue. Now that he knew who was really responsible for this, his father wouldn't blame the officers. At least, he hoped he wouldn't.

Lev was waiting a few meters down the corridor.

He smiled at Luke's arrival. "Glad to see you're in one piece."

"That might not last," Luke said, gloomily. "Why are you so happy?"

"I'm relieved that no one is going to be killed. Have I ever told you how glad I am that you came to live with your father?"

"Speaking of him, he wants to see you," Luke said.

The smile faded from Lev's face.

* * *

Vader spent the next hour at the ISB Coruscant surveillance office, poring over every piece of security film the techs had obtained for him. He learned a lot about Luke's growing piloting skills and his tendency for mindless thrill-seeking tricks, but absolutely nothing about the identity of his attacker. Even as the hologram of the sleek attack craft zoomed past his vision for the fiftieth time, he still could not recognize any flight techniques that might hint as to this pilot's origins.

Making a list of people who would have the motivation to do this was pointless. There were billions of people with murderous feelings towards him. Millions with the financial resources to do this, and millions depraved enough to target an innocent child to settle a score with him.

Despite all this, he had a suspicion. Millions who _could_ do this, true, but very few who would dare. And only one who had always wanted Luke dead.

But it was only a suspicion, and he couldn't act on a suspicion. And if it was correct, it would remain as such because the Emperor would have covered his fingerprints under a thousand layers of clues that led nowhere.

Perhaps it was meant merely as a warning. That his master knew about Luke's growing awareness of the Force, and he was entirely willing to eliminate him and make it look like an accident if required.

"Sir."

Vader turned to find an assistant had appeared beside him.

"Did you get the report I asked for?"

The lieutenant handed him the datapad. "Yes, sir. Luke's doctor was very cooperative."

Vader scanned the report. Cuts, bruises ... and a sprained ankle. Nothing compared to what could have happened, but it stirred his anger, nonetheless. He wished passionately that his master was not behind this. Then he could hunt the culprit down and make them pay.

"Sir, I realize I should have said something earlier," the lieutenant said, "but Luke's behavior was somewhat ... erratic while you were away."

"Erratic how?" Vader asked, wondering how much more bad news he could take.

The lieutenant was about to answer, but they were interrupted by the arrival of one of the senior intelligence operatives.

"Lord Vader, I have a preliminary analysis of the situation."

Her gaze wandered to the lieutenant, who was staring at her in surprise. Vader couldn't blame him. The operative appeared to be made of lots of short pieces of black wool tied together. One of the more unusual species in the galaxy.

Vader waved her on. "Proceed."

"There are two possibilities. One is that this was an attack specifically targeting your son, and the assassin kept a constant surveillance for many months, waiting for him to venture out of Imperial City alone. The other option is that Luke was targeted by rookie bounty hunters. They loiter outside the borders of Imperial City, hoping to pick off someone important, with the goal of making a name for themselves. Luke was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I am inclined to believe the latter," the woman continued. "This attack has all the hallmarks of an inexperienced bounty hunter. The _Dunesea_ is no attack craft, yet your son managed to hold his own against this assailant all the way back to Imperial City. And the fact that the wreckage was never checked to ensure success ... a contractual bounty always requires proof."

They had gleaned security footage of the mall landing pad for several hours after the attack, and it had indeed remained untouched.

Still, Vader did not believe this was the result of a fledgling bounty hunter attempting to earn a name. Perhaps it was his tendency to always assume the worst, but something stirred in the Force. There was more to this.

"We have circulated images of the ship to every field agent," the operative continued. "With your consent, we will spread word of a reward for information leading to the capture of this ship and its pilot."

"Very well," Vader said. "Do what you must."

The woman nodded and left. Vader turned back to the lieutenant.

"You were saying?"

"Luke stayed out late on two nights, past his curfew, and was evasive about where he'd been. I didn't believe it was serious, because he was with Ben at the time, so I assumed they were simply cruising around the city. But this incident makes me wonder if he'd ventured further afield."

Vader was silent, considering this information. Was there something more going on with Luke than first appeared? Attempting to extract information from him was never a pleasant task, but there was nothing further he could do here. It was time he and his errant son had a serious conversation.

"Contact the sky patrol and city guard," he said, walking towards the door, "Finding the ship will be of the highest priority."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Luke lay flat on his back, flying his T-16 model back and forth. He'd been doing this for an hour, stopping occasionally when his arm became tired. Hopefully, his father was taking so long because he was taking his anger out on something else. Something inanimate, like a duelling droid. On the other hand, maybe he was taking so long because he couldn't get his anger under control.

The sound of the doors sliding open caused him to slip half off the bed in shock. The dark shape filling the doorway was already turning away as he looked up.

"Come with me."

Luke sighed and swung his legs down onto the floor. Seventeen, and about to be lectured like a seven year old, no doubt. Still, it could be worse.

In the corridor, he found his father was waiting outside the nearby conference room. He gestured as Luke came closer, indicating that he should go in first. Luke shuffled past him, and then rested against the table. His father followed him in, and then turned around to shut the doors.

When he turned back to face him, Luke folded his arms, anticipating a question. It was not the one he was expecting, however.

"You are walking with a limp. Have you returned to your doctor to ensure your ankle is healing as it should?"

"Uh ..." Luke glanced down and bent it from side to side. "A medical droid saw it yesterday. It's a lot better today. I was lucky, I guess."

"There is no such thing as luck," his father said, starting to pace. "Despite that, I am surprised you were not killed. I suppose you imagine I make rules merely to prevent you from having fun."

"It wasn't flying alone that put me in danger," Luke protested. "I was fine before someone tried to kill me."

"They tried to kill you because you were alone," his father said, being annoyingly logical. "You are older now—you should understand that there are many who would wish you dead."

"Maybe so, but you can't fly with me forever."

"When you are skilled enough to defend yourself, then you will fly alone. Until that time, you will obey my rules."

"I survived, didn't I?" Luke said. "I even managed to hit them ... even with only two pathetic laser guns."

"Which suggests either your attacker was grossly incompetent, or they did not really wish you dead."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you have so much faith in my piloting."

"Your piloting is exceptional. Your experience in combat is non-existent. That will change with time."

Luke was momentarily at a loss for words. Exceptional? He'd never said anything like that before. And he was supposed to be in trouble ...

His father stopped pacing and paused in front of him.

"Luke," he said, sounding more serious, "I can understand that you did not anticipate the attack. What I cannot understand is why you felt the need to hide this from me."

Luke looked up in surprise. "You're kidding, right? Anyone could tell you why. Even the computer hooked up to the trash compactor could tell you. What did you expect?"

"I expect my son to take responsibility for his mistakes."

Luke felt a blaze of anger at the slight. "That's what that officer did," he said. "And you _murdered_ him."

"That was not a mistake. That was gross incompetence that resulted in the deaths of hundreds. And I cannot see what that has to do with me and you."

"If I had told you three days ago, you could have easily choked me too."

"Luke, if I was going to kill you, it would have happened a long, long time ago."

His father sounded amused. "I'm serious!" Luke said, annoyed.

"You honestly think I would kill you?"

"I'm still trying to understand why you killed him. How am I supposed to understand that you wouldn't kill me? What did he do to deserve _that_?"

"He failed. People died from his failure," his father offered.

"That's no reason to kill him!"

"Even if the lives of those he commands are saved because of it? Son, there is no room for compassion when ruling an Empire. The slightest hint of instability, and the Rebels will smell blood and multiply in number. I have done my best to protect you from the harsh realities of war, but now you must accept them."

"But what if that guy had a family?" Luke said. "What happens to them?"

"I am sure they were aware of the risks of military service."

"How can you be so cold?!"

"I am simply a realist. You are too idealistic, young one."

Luke groaned in frustration, burying his head in his hands. At times like this, he found it hard to believe they were really related.

"Perhaps sometimes I do demand too harsh a standard from the officers," his father said, eventually, more to himself than Luke. "But it is necessary. Failure cannot be tolerated in these troubled times. And likewise, I cannot tolerate reckless behavior from you. I need to leave Coruscant without having to worry about how you will endanger yourself next."

Luke slumped. "It wasn't intentional. I liked the _Dunesea_. She was a good ship ... I'm going to miss her."

"She is _still_ a good ship," his father said, "and you are going to repair her."

Luke looked up at his father in surprise.

"Are you kidding? It's junkheap material!"

"Unfortunate. Because you will not be leaving this building, for anything other than school, until that wreck is in better condition than before your little escapade. You can use the parts from the replacement."

"What?! You're _grounding_ me? I'm seventeen years old for stars sake! Besides, that's going to take _weeks_!"

"Do you think I'm treating you unfairly?" his father asked, pointedly.

"Yes!" Luke said, refusing to be intimidated. He waited for his father to make some threatening response, but instead he seemed almost amused.

"A minute ago you were worried I was going to kill you."

"That was then," Luke said, smirking.

"Perhaps I could devise a more appropriate punishment for someone of such advanced years," his father said, sounding thoughtful. "A few days in the detention center? A thousand credit fine to cover the insurance excess?"

"I'll stay home until the shuttle is fixed," Luke said, raising his hands in defeat.

"Very wise," his father said, reaching up to give him a gentle push in the direction of the door. "Now, go to bed. I can sense you are tired. We will talk further at another time."

Luke was about to leave, but something made him hesitate. He turned to face his father, and raised his head to meet his masked gaze.

"I really am sorry about what happened to the shuttle. We spent so long making modifications, and I know you really liked the design, and—"

His father waved a hand, dismissively. "I do not care about the damage to the ship."

"Oh," Luke said, truly confused. "Then why—"

His father reached up, holding him by the shoulders. "A ship can be replaced. A son cannot."

Luke stared at his father, suddenly wishing he could hug him. His father would likely think that he was attacking him, however.

As if sensing his intentions, his father patted him once, and then let his arms fall back.

"Goodnight, young one."

* * *


	8. Tyloid's Party

Repairing the shuttle turned out to be the most enjoyable punishment Luke had ever endured. Restoring the wreck from the ground up had taught him more about starship mechanics than years of studying text ever could. He took advantage of the process to add a few new modifications too. He'd been sorely tempted to outfit the shuttle with a whole new set of weapons, but having a set of missile launchers delivered to the hangar would have undoubtedly caused a disturbance in the parental force.

Ben often came over to give him a hand, feeling bad over the role he'd played in the whole thing, although Luke had assured him it wasn't his fault. One night, while they were applying sealant to the ship's dorsal panels, Ben had received a call to say he'd been awarded the medical school scholarship, much to his delight. They'd celebrated with pizza and ice cream, and lots of congratulations from Artoo and Threepio. Luke had encouraged him to call his father, but Ben had simply shrugged.

"I might keep this one to myself for now," he said.

Luke nodded, knowing he couldn't fault Ben for that. There was a long list of things he hadn't yet told his own father about.

One of them was the assignment from the Emperor, a task which was far more tedious than even he anticipated. This felt like a real punishment, the consequence of his stupid decision to speak to the ruler of the galaxy in the first place. He figured a good place to start was to locate Quasher on a map and then do some research into some basic facts about the place, like population size, climate and history. His droids were only too happy to help, and Threepio even found him a good template to use to write up his proposal.

One weekend afternoon, he'd settled himself in the palace library to finally finish this thing, knowing it was only a day until the Quasher party and his deadline to present this to the Emperor. His father was on Mustafar, and he should have been there too, relaxing in his room there or tinkering with the ships. But this wouldn't get done if he was on Mustafar.

He was just trying to figure out what in space a plenipotentiary was, when he heard the main doors open, and the sound of footsteps echoing in the wide open space. He almost instinctively stood up and walked over to the mezzanine railing, sensing a familiar presence in the Force. He felt a rush of joy when his eyes confirmed what his heart already knew.

"Leia!" he called.

She looked up in surprise. "Luke?"

He smiled in response. "Are you here for a meeting?"

"Yes, I ... " She shook her head in confusion. "Why are you here?"

Luke had to catch himself before he admitted he lived here. "Oh, I … I just needed to do some research for an assignment and this library has the best archive. Uh … my father works here, and I'm friends with the officer who gives out the security passes."

"Sounds like a good friend to have," Leia said. She'd begun to climb the stairs to reach the level he was currently on.

"I can't argue with that," Luke agreed. "So who is your meeting with? Not the Emperor, hopefully."

She smiled, walking along to join him at the railing. "I wouldn't mind. I certainly have some things to tell him. But this meeting is with the Grand Vizier, and I'm supposed to consider it an honour he deems me worthy enough to exist in his presence." She rolled her eyes. "Our meeting was scheduled to start ten minutes ago, but I've been told to wait an hour."

Luke felt a rush of anger at the thought of anyone treating Leia with such rudeness.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You don't deserve that."

She looked at him curiously then. "So what kind of research are you doing? Must be really important if you need this library."

"Oh, it's just for those Senate lessons I told you about," Luke said. "Hey, maybe you can help me. The assignment is to write a proposal for how the Empire should secure mining resources from Quasher."

Leia nodded. "Yes, their current plan isn't going too well, from what I've heard."

"They refused to sign an agreement?"

"Quasher has been pushing for better terms. Their negotiation team has little idea who they're dealing with … they actually imagine they have some leverage here. I'm surprised the Empire hasn't already disposed of the royal family and installed a puppet government. That's their usual procedure in a case like this."

"A puppet government?" Luke said. "I didn't even think about what should happen next. I might have to add another page to this."

She smiled. "Let me read."

She sat down at the table where his work was spread out, and Luke offered her his bowl of cosmo crunchies. She took a handful, and munched her way through them in an un-princess like manner which made Luke smile to himself. Every so often, she frowned slightly, and then she actually chuckled.

"It's stupid right?" Luke said. "Stars. Why did I ever agree to do this?"

"Oh, Luke." She put the datapad back on a table. "You're adorable. Do you know that?"

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Uh ... "

She gestured at the datapad. "It's like you live in a more hopeful world where the Empire would actually invest time and resources in ending slave labour on Quasher through a combination of diplomacy and economic pressure."

"Who says they won't," Luke said. "The Empire does a lot of things I don't agree with, but things won't change if no one suggests better ideas."

"I understand," she said. "A few years ago, I felt the same way. But I've seen too much now. I know too much. Until we return to true democratic rule and restore the Republic constitution, there will be no reform."

"Was the old Republic any better though? Thousands of systems left because it was so ineffective. Then there was a galactic war and the Jedi Knights tried to take over. Sounds like it was chaotic and unstable."

"I know that's what the official records say," she said. "But the Empire has suppressed what really happened. My father lived through it all and he knows."

"So what did really happened?" Luke asked, hearing his voice drop to a conspiratorial tone. It felt a little exciting to be talking about such a forbidden subject in the Imperial Palace itself, and he had long suspected there was a lot his father wasn't telling him about the final days of the Old Republic. "They say Count Dooku was a former Jedi and he was in a conspiracy with the Jedi Council to start a war and then help them take control of the Republic. But … I heard stories about the Jedi when I was growing up. The deep space pilots would tell stories about them protecting the innocent and keeping the peace. They can't all have been bad."

Leia shook her head. "They weren't. Count Dooku was a former Jedi, but at the time of the Clone Wars, he had become a Sith Lord. You know about the Sith?"

Luke smiled. "Too much."

"When fascists take over, they lie about history to make it suit their purposes. Often there's a grain of truth in what they say but they pin their own crimes on others. Count Dooku was in a conspiracy to start a war and take over the government, but he did so in league with another Sith Lord. The Emperor."

Luke's eyes widened. "Really?"

Leia nodded. "Sith Lords were enemies of the Jedi and they sought to take control of the Senate and rule the galaxy. When the Jedi discovered the chancellor was a Sith Lord, they tried to arrest him, but they were murdered in the attempt. Then the Emperor recruited another Sith Lord, Darth Vader, to hunt down and slaughter all the remaining Jedi."

There was so much disgust in her voice when she said his father's Sith name, Luke felt uncomfortable. His father hadn't been exaggerating about her opinion of him.

"So what happened to Count Dooku?" Luke asked. "In school they said he died after he kidnapped the Chancellor."

"That's true," Leia said. "But they leave out the fact that it was Jedi Knights who rescued the Chancellor. My father still has copies of the HoloNet News from that time and it tells a completely different story. Before the Empire began erasing the Jedi from history."

"Huh." Luke leaned back in his chair and then swiveled around towards the nearby archive. "Hey, Artoo? Can you find the HoloNet news archive copy from the day Count Dooku died."

Artoo made a cheerful series of beeps.

Leia glanced over. "Cute droid."

Luke smiled. "Artoo, meet Princess Leia."

Artoo made a long series of whistles and beeps, and Luke nodded. "He's saying he likes you."

"Really?" Leia said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure he's not saying I'm distracting you from your work?"

"No," Luke said, a little too quickly. "Honestly, I learn a lot more by talking to you than I do in school."

She laughed at that and tossed a cosmo crunchie at him, which he caught before it hit the floor.

"So what are you going to do after you graduate?" she asked. "Join the Apprentice Legislature?"

"I want to be a pilot," Luke said.

"The navy?"

"Yes, or maybe a commercial pilot, I don't know. I just want to fly everywhere and see the galaxy."

"That does sound good," Leia said. "I enjoy flying too. But my parents don't like me flying alone, especially in a small ship."

"You're kidding," Luke said, wondering if parents shared notes about such things. "My father is exactly the same. I think he imagines I'll end up lost in wild space or getting shot down by pirates."

Leia nodded. "Sounds familiar."

"I just wish he'd realise I'm not a kid anymore," Luke said, fidgeting with a lightpen. "I still have a curfew. Can you believe it?"

"A curfew?" Leia said, smiling. "Sounds good to me. At home on Alderaan, I wasn't allowed to leave the palace without an escort. I got so sick of it, I once ran off and spent a week living in the forest."

Luke stared in surprise. "Are you serious? How old were you?"

"Nine."

"I once ran away when I was nine too," Luke said.

Soon, they were happily sharing stories from their respective childhoods, and they had a moment of shared understanding when they realized they had both been adopted as babies.

Luke hung on every word she shared about her humanitarian missions on distant planets. In turn, she was fascinated by his stories of Jawas and Sandpeople and riding a dewback in the wastes.

"I used to dream about a boy on a desert planet," she said, taking another handful of cosmo crunchies.

"Maybe it was me," Luke said, liking the idea. "What was the dream about?"

"I don't remember any details. Just images and feelings. I often dream about places I've never been and people I've never met. I've dreamed about my birth mother."

Luke looked down at the table. "Ever dream about the future?"

"Sometimes I get strange feelings about the future," Leia said.

"Like you know something is going to happen before it does?"

She nodded, and then looked away. "I've never talked about this with anyone before."

"It's okay," Luke said. "I won't tell anyone else. I … recently started having strange dreams." He hesitated, and was about to tell Leia more about it, when they both turned at the sound of the main doors opening. One of the palace protocol droids entered, looking left and right. Leia hastily stood up.

"Stars, I've been here for hours," she said. "I must have missed that meeting."

"I'm sorry," Luke said.

She raised a hand. "It wasn't your fault."

The droid spotted her then, and said, "Princess Leia, the Grand Vizier has requested your presence."

"I will be right there, thank you," Leia said. She picked up the datapad. "I'm going to take this and make some revisions to it. Make up for me distracting you from your work. What's your address? I'll get a droid to take it back to you."

"Um ... " Luke was momentarily thrown, until he thought of giving her Ben's address. An Imperial City apartment was the type of place where someone might live if they were from a former senator's family and went to a private school, but weren't otherwise of any note.

After she'd left the library, he looked at her now empty seat, and felt a wave of loneliness that made him bury his face in his arms. Artoo rolled up and nudged him, beeping softly.

"I'm okay," Luke said, reaching out to place his hand on the droid's dome. "I just … I wish I could tell her who I really am. I've never met anyone like her … I feel like I've known her my whole life."

Artoo made a series of chirps, and then rolled back and projected an image from the HoloNet. Luke stared in surprise when he realized it was the front page of the HoloNet News that Leia had described.

"Hey, that's my father."

Artoo beeped in agreement.

"And … that's Leia's father," he said, reading the caption under the image. "She was right." The text clearly mentioned Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi carrying out the rescue. Luke frowned as he caught sight of the date. "This was only a short time before I was born."

His musing was interrupted by the sound of his comlink. It lit up with an image of Ben when he picked it up.

"Oh, stars, I forgot you were coming over," Luke said. "I'll be right down."

Ben smirked. "I've been here for about half an hour."

"Where? In the hangar?"

"No. In the security office. They've been watching you on the screens and gossiping about you and Leia."

Luke covered his face. "There is no privacy around here!"

"I'll meet you in the hangar."

Ben was curious of course, but Luke found he really didn't have anything to tell him, apart from the fact that he needed to watch out for a delivery of a datapad from the Alderaan embassy. He and Leia were friends, and that's all there was to it.

The datapad arrived at Ben's apartment the next day, and his friend brought it over in the late afternoon, catching a ride with his father, who was starting an evening shift. He read through it while Luke worked underneath the Dunesea's engine, reading out various parts of it to Luke. He paused after one paragraph, and read one of the sentences again.

"This is really good, Luke," he said. "Are you sure he's going to believe you wrote it?"

"Hey, I wrote most of it," Luke said. "And he said I could get help."

Ben glanced at the time. "Are you supposed to present it to him? Maybe you should practice reading it."

"No way," Luke said. "I'm just going to drop it into the Grand Vizier's office and ask him to give it to the Emperor."

As if on cue, a royal guard entered the hangar from the nearby elevators, and walked directly towards them. Luke glanced up and then hastily shuffled further under the ship.

"Tell him I'm not here," Luke whispered.

Through the narrow gap between the ship and the hangar bay floor, he saw the guard's red robes come into view, and he tried to keep as still as possible.

"Good afternoon, young Mr Jarnet," the guard said.

"Sergeant," Ben said, standing up. "Uh … Luke's not here."

"Then who can I see hiding under the ship?"

Artoo made a chuckling noise, and Luke groaned. Mumbling under his breath about guard helmets with their stupid infrared enhancements, he shuffled out and stood up beside Ben.

"His highness wishes to see you," the guard explained.

"He just wants this," Luke said, taking the datapad from Ben. "Could you please take it to him and tell him you couldn't find me?"

The guard remained silent and didn't take the datapad. Luke sighed.

"All right, all right, I'll come. Ben … send Artoo up if I'm not back soon."

Artoo made a few concerned whistles, but Luke waved a hand. "It's okay, buddy. I'll survive."

But when he joined the guard in the elevator, his stomach began to twist into knots. What if the Emperor was insulted by the lack of effort he'd put into this report? What if he wanted to teach him more about the Force?

The closer he got to the tower where the Emperor had his main office, the more anxious he felt. Every instinct he had was telling him to turn and walk in the other direction, but what choice did he have? His father was far away on Mustafar.

He passed more guards the closer he came to the tower, including Ben's father. He didn't so much as move his head, and Luke felt too ashamed to look at him, for reasons he couldn't explain. He wasn't doing this by choice. Not this time.

The guard beside him accompanied him in the elevator, and remained behind him as they walked through the ante room and into the office main.

"Luke Skywalker, your highness," the guard said, after he'd bowed. Luke hastily followed suit, but he couldn't bring himself to look up afterwards.

"Thank you, Sergeant," the Emperor said. "Leave us."

There was an awkward silence as the guard made his way back to the elevator. Luke wished he could take a few steps backwards. Or at least stand behind one of the chairs. He was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to speak first, but if the Emperor didn't talk soon, he was going to have to say something just to get it over with.

"Hmm."

Luke finally looked up.

"Have you been working on the shuttle, perchance, young Skywalker?"

With a rush of horror, Luke realised he was wearing his engineers coveralls, complete with a multitool still hanging off his belt. Why hadn't that guard told him to change?

"Uh, yes, your highness," Luke said, running a hand through his hair. Hopefully there was no engine grease. "Sorry, I should have changed."

"It's no matter. You know, you should have told me the shuttle wasn't entirely destroyed. You could have avoided this."

Luke smiled, feeling himself relax a notch. "I didn't know it had. Thanks for trying to help me anyway."

"Did you finish writing up your plan for Quasher?"

"Oh, yes, it's right here," Luke said, sliding the datapad out of the front pocket. "I, uh … I did get some help with it."

The Emperor raised a hand and the datapad left his hand and travelled across the room to the Emperor's desk.

"Please, sit down."

Luke closed his eyes for a moment, realizing he was going to read it in front of him. This was just embarrassing. He was probably going to get grease on the fancy red chairs as well.

There was silence while the Emperor read through his plan, broken every so often by a chuckle. Luke hunched forward, feeling every bit the naive Tatooine farmboy who had somehow found himself talking to the Emperor of the galaxy.

"You have done well," he said, finally, causing Luke to glance up. "This is a wise plan."

"Thank you, your highness." Luke felt a rush of joy. All going well, the slaves in the Quasher mines would be free within a few months.

"Now, I want you to watch as the Empire carries out _my_ plan for that pitiful planet," he continued. "Then you will tell me what you learn."

"Your plan?" Luke said. "I … um … was there something wrong with my ... ?" He met the Emperor's gaze briefly, and then looked down. "Yes, your highness."

The Emperor did not elaborate further, leaving Luke wondering if this whole exercise had been some kind of mind game he was playing with him. Was he now going to do the exact opposite of what he'd suggested, just to show him who was really in charge? Was he going to ask the Quasher royal family to fill their mines with more slaves?

"Now, tell me," the Emperor said. "Have you been working on your connection to the Force?"

Luke wondered if she should just lie. That sounded like a dangerous idea.

"I've been busy with shuttle, your highness."

"Ah. Then perhaps we should work on it now."

Luke felt his heart beat faster. Images from his last vision drifted through his mind. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of an excuse to leave.

The Emperor placed the datapad back on his desk.

"Can you take this back?"

Luke stared at it, feeling a little better. Moving things around didn't involve visions of some horrible future. He stretched out a hand, but the datapad didn't move. He closed his eyes, trying to push all of his anxiety away.

"Concentrate," the Emperor said.

After a moment, the datapad began to shuffle on the desk, and then finally he pulled it a few meters. It fell to the floor before it reached him, and he hastily moved to pick it up.

"You need to practice every day," the Emperor said. "Then you will grow strong and powerful. Here." He shifted an empty class to the edge of the desk. "See if you can break it."

"Break it?"

"Reach out with the Force," the Emperor said.

He'd never tried anything like this before, and he was momentarily at a loss. On his first attempt, all the glass did was move about a centimeter. He tried harder, and managed to push it over.

The Emperor put it back upright.

"No, you need to channel your aggressive feelings. I know you have anger within you. Find it."

"Anger?" Luke said. "I'm not angry."

The Emperor met his gaze, and Luke quickly looked away from the yellow eyes.

"You were with your friend. The boy who is the son of one of my guards."

Luke nodded, wondering what this had to do with anything. "Ben."

"Ah, yes, Ben. What if something were to happen to Ben?"

Luke felt a chill run through him. "What do you mean?"

"What if another boy at school were to hit him? And you were too weak to fight back? Because you spent all your time fixing the ship instead of building on your connection to the Force."

It all came back in a rush. That feeling of being small and weak. Too weak to save his aunt and uncle.

"Ah, yes, you know," the Emperor said, in a quiet voice. "That's right. Now, use your anger and reach out and crush the glass."

The result was immediate. The glass exploded into shards, sending sharp pieces scattering all over the desk and tumbling onto the carpet. It had been so easy.

The Emperor clapped his hands together in unrestrained delight. "Excellent! Well done, young Skywalker. Well done indeed. There, you see?"

Luke did see. He didn't believe it, but it was there before his own eyes.

"Now, I sense your father will return soon. You must go and practice this again when he is not here. Am I understood?"

Luke had to swallow before he felt able to answer.

"Yes, your highness."

* * *

Ben's expression was all concern when he finally returned to the hangar. He'd had to stop at a refresher on the way down, just needing a moment to recover. His head felt fuzzy.

"What happened?" he asked. "Did he like the plan?"

"I … yes, he said it was good," Luke mumbled, looking aside.

"That's great. So he's going to do it?"

"I don't think so," Luke said. "He said he was going to carry out his own plan." He rubbed his face and then reached for the socket wrench.

"Are you okay? You look—"

"I'm fine," Luke snapped.

Ben's eyes widened, and Luke closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately. "Let just … talk about something else. Anything else."

Ben was quiet for a bit, and then he said, "The ship is looking good. I was helping Artoo give it a polish while you were gone."

Luke opened his eyes and looked at the gleaming Dunesea. Artoo came and nudged at his leg, making an encouraging beep.

"It looks amazing," he said, his voice full of emotion.

Ben grinned, standing up beside him. "Only I think it looks a little different than it used to. Did you change the wings?"

"A little," Luke admitted. "I might have made it a little faster. A little more maneuverable."

"Didn't your father want it exactly as it was before?"

Luke shrugged, running a hand along the surface. "You know what would be the best thing ever? After the exams are done, you and I just take this out and explore the galaxy for a few weeks."

Ben grinned. "A hyperspace trip? You're on."

Artoo made a questioning whistle.

"Of course you and Threepio can come," Luke said, resting his hand on the droid's dome.

"You think your father would agree to it? Technically, it is his ship."

"Don't burst my bubble with your reality check."

Right on cue, they both looked up at the sound of a ship coming in too fast. It swung around and came down gently, cockpit already popping open as it did. Ben gasped a string of words that sounded like "gotta-run-see-you-later-bye!", and then he sprinted off towards the elevators. Luke was left staring after him in confusion, until a familiar respiration sound filled his ears. He sighed, wondering when, if ever, his friend would get used to his father.

He turned back, and saw his father closing the distance between them. It was good to see him. His presence filled a gap in his mind that had felt empty ever since Leia had left for her meeting, yesterday afternoon.

"Has your friend taken up sprinting?" his father said, waving a gloved hand towards the elevators.

"Only when you're around," Luke said. "You know, you could be a little nicer to him. He might stick around then."

"I will try harder next time," his father said, sounding amused.

"How was Mustafar? And Vaneé?"

"They both remain unchanged." His father had begun walking around the ship. "You have made good progress with the _Dunesea_. I believe you have fulfilled the requirements we agreed upon. You are again free to come and go as you wish."

"I'm still putting some finishing touches on the landing struts," Luke said, quickly.

His father glanced at him, and Luke sensed confusion.

"Uh ... I mean, thank you!" Luke said, realizing he was giving the wrong impression.

"I am sure you will find time to complete any further work," his father said, walking back around to join him. "However, there is another reason to end your confinement tonight. You may recall there is a reception at the Senate to celebrate the inauguration of the new Quasher senator."

Luke groaned, cupping his hands over his eyes. Despite his father's words, he had a feeling his punishment was really just beginning. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

"Unlikely, young one. It starts in an hour, so I suggest you go and get ready."

"I don't feel so good," Luke said, rubbing his head. "Maybe it would be better if I didn't go ... I don't want to spread disease."

"Nice try, Son. I am going to IMH for a briefing on a classified military operation about to get underway."

"Oh, of course you would have planned something to get out of it," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"Are you suggesting you would like me to accompany you?" his father said. "You would find it difficult to continue to deny our relationship to your new friend."

"Wait," Luke said, lighting up. " _Leia_ is going to be there?!" He immediately turned to go and get ready, but then he paused and looked back. "I haven't denied our relationship. I'm just … choosing not to mention it just yet. I want her to get to know me first. Otherwise she'll make assumptions."

"You are merely delaying the inevitable, son."

"What did you do to make her so mad at you, anyway?" Luke said. "I hope you didn't bomb her planet."

"She has some … disagreements with my operational methods."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Most people do. But this seems like more."

"I did once suggest that we had more in common than she was willing to admit. I don't believe she appreciated that remark."

Luke smiled. "She is really intense."

"She has impressive leadership skills and holds much influence in the Senate. But I believe her talents are wasted there."

_Interesting_ , Luke thought. Leia may dislike his father, but the feeling clearly wasn't mutual. He could sense genuine admiration behind his father's assessment. Perhaps this was all simply a matter of misunderstanding on Leia's part. Maybe if she knew his father a little better. He could try and test the waters tonight. If it went well, maybe he should get it over with.

* * *

Given the general unpleasant nature of Tyloid, Luke had expected the vast majority of party guests to be complete strangers. But when he pulled up on the street level landing pad, he was surprised to see Ophelia Halifax, wearing a glittering forest green dress and a lot of makeup. She looked about five years older than her actual age, and, as always, made Luke feel underdressed.

"Hi," he said, swinging a leg over the Bloodfin. "I'm late, right?"

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "I wondered who would be crass enough to show up to a Senate reception on a speeder bike."

"Hey, that's a restored classic," Luke said, coming over to join her by the elevators. He glanced over at her nearby bodyguard, and said, "What are you doing down here by yourself?"

"I just needed a moment to bang my head against the wall," she said, gesturing to the elevator attendant droid to press the up button.

"Is the party that bad?" Luke said, wondering if he should turn around.

"It is when you see your friend embarrassing herself by actually pretending to like that gross nerfherder."

"Oh, I forgot to thank you for taking that gross nerfherder off my hands," Luke said, as they entered the elevator. It said a lot that he didn't even need to confirm she was talking about Tyloid. Ophelia's bodyguard joined them, and the droid pressed the button for the main floor. "Wait, one of your friends is here with him?"

Ophelia nodded. "Armith. She's been going out with him and he asked her to accompany him tonight."

"Armith? Seriously?"

She nodded. "It's just embarrassing."

It was often a mystery to Luke why any of his classmates decided to pair off, but this one was especially confusing. Although, he had seen how easily Tyloid could change his tone and put on an act.

"Is there food, at least?" Luke said. "I'm starving."

Ophelia gave him another look of disdain, but then she was nice enough to show him a side entrance which would take him immediately to the buffet table, and avoid having to be 'announced' as a newly arrived guest.

"Thanks, I owe you another one," he said. "Let me know if you ever want to take my bike out for a spin."

He was pretty sure Ophelia didn't even have a license, as she was chauffeured everywhere, or he'd never have made such an offer. She actually smiled at the idea though, and waved Luke on.

After filling a large plate with one of everything, and accepting a juri juice from a drinks droid, Luke looked around for Leia. There were members of the Quasher aristocracy everywhere, mingling with a varied array of senators and other members of the Imperial hierarchy. No sign of his friend everywhere.

Then, he happened to glance up, and he felt a rush of delight. She was up on the mezzanine, all by herself, no staff or parents in sight. Perfect. He kept his eyes on her as he dodged around the guests and climbed the vast staircase as quickly as he could manage without spilling his drink. When she saw him walking towards her, her face lit up with a smile that made the rest of the room disappear.

Her gaze shifted to his plate. "No one needs to tell you to help yourself, do they?"

"I thought you might like to share," he said, balancing the plate on the railing between them. "Thank you so much for fixing my report. I … I submitted it this afternoon and my teacher said it was well thought out."

He looked at his glass briefly, trying not to remember what else had happened.

"You're welcome," Leia said. Her smile had faded though, and there was something heavy in her posture as she looked over the railing. "I'm afraid the future for Quasher will be nothing like your noble vision. I understand the Imperial fleet will launch an invasion in an hour's time. I'd recommend leaving this party before their royal family realize they've been duped." She gestured below.

"An invasion?" Luke said, surprised. "But …" He trailed off, thinking back over the Emperor's words. "Oh, stars. Well … hopefully they'll free all the slaves."

Leia laughed in a hollow way. "By the time they're finished, the entire planet will be the Emperor's newest slave."

Luke raised an eyebrow, and then picked up a long skinny vegetable to chew. "You really don't like the Empire, do you?"

"I'm sorry," Leia said, looking away. "I often speak without thinking."

"I'm not offended!" Luke said, distressed that Leia took his remark that way. "I suppose I'm just confused. I thought being an Imperial senator meant you wanted to serve the Empire."

"I serve the people of Alderaan, Luke. The Empire should be serving us all. Instead, in the Emperor's mind, we all exist only to serve him. Watch what happens with Quasher, and you will understand."

Luke looked down at his plate, feeling his stomach begin to churn. He didn't know how this conversation had become so serious so quickly. "But … but the Empire has so many people working for it, and the Emperor can't control what all of them do all the time."

"Fear and lies are powerful weapons."

"I've met good people who work for the Empire."

"So have I. But the higher up the chain you go, the worse it gets. I have had the misfortune of being in the presence of both the Emperor and Lord Vader, and it is an experience one can never forget."

Luke felt it was worth a try, at least. "You know, I think Lord Vader is really misunderstood. There are things I don't agree with, but he does genuinely want to bring peace to the galaxy. Things would be better if he was in charge."

Leia gave him a look that was a mix of sheer disbelief and amusement. "Did you just use the words 'peace' and 'Vader' in the same breath? You must be joking. That murdering, torturing ... he _lives_ for war and violence. If you had met him, you would understand."

Luke looked away. "Maybe we should talk about something other than politics."

"I know this isn't a happy subject, but it's important, Luke. If our generation don't wake up and pay attention, then nothing will change. You can't just live in your own sheltered bubble, enjoying the high life on Coruscant while the Empire—"

"I know things aren't perfect," Luke said, trying not to let his annoyance creep into his tone. "But there's nothing I can do about it right now. As soon as I can, I will."

"I'm sorry," Leia said, reaching out to put a hand on his elbow. "Don't mind me." She sighed. "There's a reason why I was up here alone tonight. I'm not really fit for company."

"Don't say that," Luke said. "You feel strongly about all this and I only wish I could fix it for you."

She smiled. "Anytime you want to stage a coup and implement sweeping democratic reform, I'll be right behind you."

Just as she said 'right behind you', two arms grabbed Leia in a hug from behind, causing her to cry out in surprise. Luke looked up at the regal-looking man with greying hair, and immediately recognised him from the HoloNet news.

"Dad!" Leia said, returning the embrace. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Just arrived half an hour ago. I wanted to surprise you at the embassy, but they told me you were here." He glanced at Luke. As soon as their eyes met, the man let go of Leia and stared at him, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh, Father, this is Luke. We met at the senate. Luke, this is my father, Viceroy Bail Organa."

Luke offered his hand, and it was gripped with two hands in a firm handshake.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Luke."

"Thank you, sir," Luke said, wondering why he was smiling so warmly. Unless he recognized him ... but from what his father had said, he doubted he'd be any happier about meeting the son of Lord Vader than Leia would. Maybe he was just really polite.

Finally, he released Luke's hand, and draped an arm around Leia's shoulders.

"So what are you two doing hiding up here? You should be mingling with the guests."

"I'd rather die than mingle with some of them, you know I would."

"Leia!"

Luke recognized the overly familiar tone of a father about to give a lecture.

"I can see the Countess of Tersali," her father continued, pointing down below. "She always loves to see you."

"She calls me love and dear all the time," Leia complained. "Like I'm seven years old!"

"Then throw a public tantrum and demand that she call you 'your highness'," her father said.

Luke rolled his eyes, wondering if all parents were issued with a guide to sarcasm.

"I'm going," Leia sighed. She walked off gracefully, though. Luke could see himself stomping off if his father made him do something like that.

Now they were alone, Leia's father turned to him, looking very curious. Luke quickly excused himself.

"Um, I better talk to a few people myself," he said. "It was nice to meet you, sir."

"A question before you go," he said, with a slightly bemused expression. "Does Leia know you are Lord Vader's son?"

"Uh ..." Luke was momentarily stumped. He _knew_. "Um ... I was waiting for the right moment to break it to her."

Surprisingly, he laughed. "Very wise."

"I just want her to get to know me as a person, first. Or else all she'll see is him. She hates my father."

"Yes," Leia's father said, quietly. "Many people cannot see beyond the mask."

Luke wondered what he meant. No one could see past the mask. It wasn't transparent. Perhaps he didn't mean literally ...

"You knew him," Luke realized, piecing the information together. "You knew him when he was a Jedi Knight."

"Yes, I did. Anakin Skywalker was a Clone Wars hero. There are not many among my generation that would not recall his many legendary heroics. As far as history records, however, Anakin Skywalker died in the purge at the Jedi Temple."

"Did you know my mother?" Luke asked.

Bail smiled, warmly. "Oh, yes. She was a colleague and a very dear friend." His expression became serious then. "I have often thought about you. I fear you are in grave danger, now that you have come of age."

Luke's eyes widened. Why was everyone being so serious?

"I'm fine," Luke said, looking away. "My father threatens to put me in the detention centre now and then, but I'm pretty sure he's joking."

"Everyone can see how protective your father is. I was referring to the Emperor."

Luke cringed. He didn't want to discuss that with anyone, least of all a complete stranger. A complete stranger who knew his parents and whose daughter felt strangely familiar. Maybe he was catching some of his father's weirdness, but it was clear this man knew things which Luke wasn't sure he wanted to know. His life was complicated enough already.

"I need to go," Luke said, feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the large ballroom. He needed to get away from all this.

Bail nodded. "I can help you if you ever need somewhere to hide."

Luke didn't reply. He walked quickly away from Bail and discarded his plate and glass into a nearby pot plant, and then made his way back down to the ballroom floor. The exit was in sight, surrounded by a welcoming glow, when someone stepped in front of him, blocking his escape.

"Are you leaving already?"

Luke sighed. "No, Tyloid. Why would I leave before having the pleasure of a conversation with you?"

"Hey, I wouldn't blame you," Tyloid said. "This party is getting more boring by the second. What say we ditch all these old fossils and show the girls the Coruscant nightlife? You can pilot."

He yanked a girl forward by the arm, and Luke recognised Armith from school. She laughed, but it didn't sound genuine.

"Don't pull her arm like that," Ophelia said, turning away from a conversation with a Nikto senator. "You'll hurt her."

"Are you parked on the VIP landing pad?" Tyloid asked Luke, ignoring Ophelia.

"No, I brought a speeder bike," Luke said. "Besides, I have somewhere else to be."

"Then my chauffeur can take us. You in, Phee?" Tyloid said, finally looking at Ophelia. "It's about time someone taught young Luke here the facts of life."

Luke blushed, both with embarrassment and anger. He was about to shove Tyloid out of the way, when Ophelia suddenly grabbed his arm.

"You're absolutely right, Ty," she said, "but give Armith and me a moment."

They disappeared into the crowd. Within a moment, Ophelia returned, grabbed Luke by the arm, and yanked him after her.

They attracted a few stares from the senators as Ophelia dragged him towards the exit. Some people turned to each other and smiled in a knowing way. Luke felt himself turning even redder, and he hoped Leia wasn't seeing this.

When they were finally away from curious gazes, Luke took a deep breath and wrenched his arm back from Ophelia.

"Ophelia, I know we've known each other a long time and all, but I have no interest in—"

"Don't be stupid," Ophelia said, rolling her eyes. She adjusted one of her earrings as she headed for a nearby refresher door. "Stand out here and don't let anyone else come in. Especially Tyloid."

"What am I supposed to say if people really need to go?"

"Threaten them with execution."

She barged on in, and shut the door behind her. Luke leaned against the wall, trying to look casual. Hopefully people would think he was waiting for someone.

Presently, words began to drift into the corridor from within.

"Armith, he's so beneath you, it's an embarrassment. You made me swear that if you ever ended up dating another slimeball, I had to make you see reason."

"But Phee, he's a senator ..."

"So? He's a class A nerfherder, and you can do better. Dump him now, or you're going to be ostracized. Do you really want to win the award on graduation day for having the least friends?"

There was silence for a while, and then Armith spoke again.

"I can't tell him. He'll get angry."

She sounded like she was crying. Luke glanced at the closed door, feeling both sorry for her, and angry with Tyloid.

"Then I'll tell him," Ophelia said, sounding weary. "Go home. I'll tell him it's over and he better not talk to you again, or I'll tell my father about it."

There was no response from Armith. Finally, the doors slid open, and Ophelia stepped out.

"Luke, can you take Armith home?"

She pushed Armith forward, who was dabbing her eyes with a piece of toilet tissue.

"Sure," Luke said. "Um ... are you sure you don't want my help? Telling Tyloid, that is?"

"I can handle it," Ophelia said, walking off in the direction of the party.

Luke glanced at Armith. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said, sniffing.

"Come on, I'll take you home. Boring party, anyway."

"Yeah," she agreed.

There was silence as they walked to the elevators. Luke searched his mind to think of something they could talk about, to take Armith's mind off Tyloid. He always had this problem with girls. It was so hard to find something to say. Although, now that he thought about it, he didn't have a problem finding things to talk about with Leia.

Luke had just decided that their upcoming exams might be a safe bet, when Armith spoke up.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm parked down on the street level landing pad," Luke said. "Um … wait, this could be a problem. I brought my speeder bike."

"A speeder bike?" She wasn't crying anymore, for which Luke was grateful. "I've never been on a speeder bike. Will I fit?"

"Oh, sure. Ben rides with me all the time. But your dress might get dirty, though ... sometimes there are oil spills on the streets. Maybe we should get an air-taxi."

"I don't mind. I don't really like this dress anyway."

"Why, it looks great on you!" Luke said, glancing back. "Picks up the colour of your eyes." She gave him a curious look, and Luke hastily corrected himself. "Not that I'm a dress expert."

She laughed. "Oh, Luke. You're so sweet."

When they reached the _Bloodfin_ , Luke crouched down to retrieve the spare helmet from the storage compartment, and checked inside to make sure there were no residual black hairs belonging to Ben. He passed it to Armith, but she was busy admiring the bike from all angles.

"This is so amazing. Where did you buy it?"

"I actually found it at the palace," Luke said. "I spent ages restoring it. It needs a new coat of paint though. I'm still deciding on the colour. I don't know, red maybe? Blue?"

"Blue," Armith said. "Baby blue. Like your eyes."

Luke smiled, and looked away. Was it his imagination, or did she just flirt with him?

He swung his leg over into the driver's seat, and the _Bloodfin_ hummed healthily when he switched it on.. Fuel was fine, syn-oil was fine.

"Jump on," he said, shifting forward to leave as much room as possible for Armith.

She took her time climbing on, and then held him by the shoulders. "Okay, I'm ready."

The impatient Skywalker method for getting the speeder bike onto the street involved accelerating to top speed, streaming out to the edge of the landing pad, jumping into mid-air, then using a combination of the repulsors and the thrusters to land gently on the nearest non-inhabited surface.

He briefly wondered if maybe he should forgo the Skywalker method, considering he was carrying Armith as a passenger, but then he decided against it. She was genuinely impressed with the bike and he should show her what it could really do.

"Hold on tight," he said, revving the engine.

She screamed as they jumped off the end of the landing pad, but she sounded thrilled more than frightened. Luke felt her arms slide up under his arms and around his chest.

_Concentrate_ , he thought, watching the ground coming up below. She wouldn't be so impressed if they ended up as pancakes on the ground.

They hit the ground relatively gently, considering the distraction she was providing. Luke took off into a sunken traffic lane, and weaved around the other traffic. It wasn't until a few pleasant minutes had passed, that he realized he had no idea where Armith lived.

He began to slow down, and then glanced back.

"South-east of the senate, the Securiana building," she said into his ear.

Luke pushed in the throttle, taking them back up to speed.

"I know the place," he mumbled. It wasn't far from Ben's apartment block.

When they arrived at the guest traffic entrance, Luke stopped the _Bloodfin_ in front of the elevators. Armith unbuckled her helmet and then climbed off.

"I should walk you up," Luke said, switching off the _Bloodfin's_ engine.

"No, you better not," she said, handing him the helmet. "My parents will be home, and they'll get the wrong idea."

"Am I that scary?' Luke said, taken aback.

She smiled, and patted his shoulder. "Of course not. It's more that your father is that scary."

"Oh. Can't argue with that," Luke said, looking down. "I'll see you at school then."

"Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome," he said, meeting her gaze again. She really did have pretty eyes. For a moment, he wondered what it might be like to be a normal teenager who didn't have a Sith Lord for a father. Maybe a girl like Armith would want to introduce him to her parents then.

Then he quickly looked away, and started the engine. As Uncle Owen used to say, there was no point dreaming for a world that didn't exist instead of working with the one you were living in.

* * *

"Okay, what happened?" Ben said, folding his arms.

"What makes you think anything happened?" Luke said, walking past Ben and sinking down onto his couch.

"You're supposed to be grounded, but you're here, dressed like you've just been dining with the Emperor, and you're carrying the speeder bike helmet."

"I'm no longer grounded, as of this evening," Luke said. "And you're almost right ... I just came from Tyloid's party at the senate. I thought I'd see if you wanted to join me for a little tunnel racing."

"Your first night of freedom in a month, and you want to squander it by doing something that will probably get you grounded all over again?" Ben said. "That is so typical."

"My father's at IMH," Luke explained. "I have the perfect alibi because so many people saw me at the party. My father will be none the wiser."

"You say that like you believe it," Ben said. "When has your father ever not found out about any of your adventures? He's practically omniscient."

"He is not. And I've kept lots of things from him," Luke said, remembering his secret chats with the Emperor. He felt slightly disturbed for a moment, remembering the sight of the shattered glass, and then he brushed the memory away. "You don't have to come," Luke added.

"Of course I'm in," Ben said, rolling his eyes as if that had been obvious the whole time.

* * *

Luke had to slow down to a crawl as they entered the street beside Brock's cantina. There were bikes and speeders of every description parked all down the sides of the narrow road.

"Well, they haven't raced yet," Ben said, standing on a disposal unit to see over the crowds.

Luke swung himself off the _Bloodfin_ , then stepped back to admire it. Despite the need of a paint job, she stood out. Especially compared to the other half-homemade collections of junk, which some people imagined to be speeder bikes. His heart swelled with pride, and Luke placed a hand on the back as he checked to make sure it was locked. "We're going to race tonight, buddy."

"Are you talking to your bike?" Ben asked.

"No," Luke said, shifting away. "Let's go find the Speedsters."

"I can see one of them," Ben said, pointing.

There was a growing crowd gathering in the alleyway on the other side of Brock's. Luke and Ben sidled up beside Fushna, who was hovering at the outskirts, looking somewhat disinterested.

"Hi," Luke said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she said. "Just Pike and Naft having a go at each other. Naft's the leader of the Novas."

A few people shuffled aside, and Luke saw Pike fly through the air and smash against the wall. He was up again almost immediately and launched back into a struggle with another racer. Luke recognized the person who had 'introduced' him to Han and Chewie.

"They just like to get each other angry before a race," Fushna explained.

Luke watched, both disgusted and fascinated.

"Isn't someone going to break it up?" Ben asked.

"Are you kidding?" Fushna said, "I hear the odds are seven-three in favor of Naft."

"That reminds me," Luke said. "I want to race tonight. What do I have to do?"

"First ... call all your loved ones and say goodbye. Then buy yourself a coffin."

"And then?" Luke said, smirking.

"Go to Brock's and register at the bar. You need someone to bet on you, or bet on yourself."

"What's the minimum bet?" Ben asked.

"A hundred credits."

Luke fumbled in his pockets, and then pulled out a five credit chip. He looked at Ben, who shrugged.

"The snack machine at school stole all mine."

Luke looked pleadingly at Fushna, who rolled her eyes. "You've gotta be joking, kid."

The crowd around them suddenly cheered, and Luke glanced back at the fight. This time, it was Naft who had hit the ground.

"Well, looks like you won't be racing tonight," Ben said, sounding far too happy. "Let's go home."

"No," Luke said. "Let's go find Han."

"You think Han has a hundred credits to spare?"

"I only need ninety-five!"

Luke dragged Ben into the bar, looking left and right for any sign of Han. He had to be around here somewhere. Finally, he straightened up, and walked confidently up to the bar.

"Hi," he said to the four-eyed bartender, who was cleaning a glass with a dirty rag. "I want to register for the race."

The guy didn't even blink. "Who's your sponsor, kid?"

"Well, that's the thing," Luke said. "He's not here right now. But he's a regular customer of yours—Han Solo. Can you put it on his tab?"

"You think I'd take credit from Han Solo?"

"How about Chewie?" Luke said, hopefully.

"Get out of here!"

"Could you at least tell me where he might be?" Luke said.

"Probably in the docking bay three blocks west. Trying to fix that no good piece of junk of his."

Luke brightened. "Thanks! So when does the race start?"

"Thirty minutes."

Luke's smile faded. He ran towards the door, with Ben right behind him.

"This is crazy, Luke," Ben complained, as they climbed on the _Bloodfin_.

"You say that all the time," Luke said, buckling up his helmet. "Even when I'm doing something that isn't crazy at all."

Luke pushed in the throttle, sending them shooting through the crowds. People jumped angrily out of the way, hurling abuse after them.

"Why don't you just tell Brock who your father is?" Ben yelled over the engine. "Then I bet he'll let you enter!"

"I'm going to do a three-sixty when you aren't holding on one day!" Luke yelled back.

They reached the right block within seconds, and Luke slowed to a more reasonable speed. They drove around until Ben spotted an entrance to a docking bay. It was just the kind of run-down, discount place Luke could imagine Han storing his ship.

But what he wasn't prepared for was the ship itself. Luke had seen some sorry pieces of scrap metal in his days on Tatooine, but few compared to this. It was a wonder it could fly at all, never mind enter hyperspace. He switched off the speeder bike engine, and stared blankly until Ben slapped him on the back.

"The race starts in thirty minutes, remember."

"Oh yeah," Luke said. "I was just ... gaping."

"Yeah, she does that to people," a voice behind them said. They turned to see Han sauntering up, twirling a socket wrench around his finger. "How can I help you gents?"

"I need you to sponsor me in the race tonight," Luke explained. "Are you in?"

Han laughed, long and loud.

"I'm serious!" Luke said. "Come on, you owe me!"

"No I don't. What does this look like, a charity? Get out of here."

"I'll fix your ship for you," Luke said, desperately.

"You can't fix it. It needs a hyperdrive motivator."

"I can fix other things," Luke said, pointing. "Like your infrared sensor—it's stuck on backwards, for star's sake!"

"So that's why that thing doesn't work," Han said, staring up. "Thanks for the free advice, kid."

"Where's Chewie?" Luke said, frowning.

"Hey, kid, if you can't convince me, what makes you think you have a hope of convincing Chewie?!"

The Wookiee chose that moment to wander out of the _Falcon_ , looking like he'd just been woken up. He roared in greeting at the sight of Luke, and drapped a paw around his shoulder.

"Hi, Chewie," Luke said, grinning. "Listen ... would you mind doing me a really big favor?"

* * *

"I still can't believe you convinced them to bet on you," Ben said, staring up towards the spectator stands. Han and Chewie were standing above the tunnel entrance, between two groups of Rodians.

"Hey, I saved his cousin," Luke said, wiping a smudge of syn-oil from the _Bloodfin's_ fuel tank. "You can't argue with that."

"Han looks like he's watching his chances of ever getting away from here sink into a black hole," Ben said.

"I'll make it up to him," Luke said, standing up and readjusting his helmet. "We've probably got a spare hyperdrive motivator in the hangar at home."

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this?" Ben said, looking around at the other bikes.

Luke knew what he was thinking. The other bikes were bigger and noisier, but that didn't mean faster. Their riders may look meaner, but he knew he loved racing more than anyone else here. Nothing beat the adrenaline rush when you were traveling too fast to breathe.

"For the last time, _yes_ , Ben. The race is about to start."

" _Please_ don't die. Your father would kill me."

"Is that all you're worried about?"

"At least people could say you died happy. They wouldn't say that about me if your father killed me."

"See you later, Ben," Luke said, firmly.

His friend gave him a thumbs up, and then disappeared into the sideline crowds. Luke stared after him a moment, and then climbed onto the _Bloodfin_. Now that he was really here, his excitement was almost too much to contain. He couldn't wait much longer.

Pike and his friends were lined up in the front left. Luke nudged the throttle, until he was idling beside the Speedsters.

"Hurry up and start already!" he complained, watching the signal lights above the tunnel. It still glowed red.

"Hi Luke," Pike said. "Joining us tonight, huh?"

Luke glanced at Pike, and then did a double take. His jaw was bruised, and his jacket was covered in dirt.

"Any last minute advice?" Luke asked.

"Stay away from the Novas," Pike said. "It gets dirty out there, and Naft is out for blood. I told him his mother is a Hutt."

Luke grinned. "Is there a set track?"

"Nah, take any tunnel you want. It's best to stick to the main ones, though, or you'll get lost ... it's a maze through there. Remember, it's first out of the exit behind us. Doesn't matter what you have to do to get there, just be first out."

Luke turned around, seeing another service tunnel exit, a hundred meters behind them. The tunnels must loop around in a circle somehow. Maybe he'd be best to follow the Speedsters. They must know the best routes by now.

A sound system whistled and crackled for a moment, then a commentator announced the start of the race. He faded in and out a few times, but Luke thought he heard something about a new race sponsor, Jinko's discount funeral services. Luke considered it for a moment, and then decided to conclude it was a joke.

The starting light switched to orange, and around him the engine revving rose to a deafening crescendo. Luke glanced at a rusty bike next to him, wondering if it was designed for sound or speed. Judging by the fuel leaking out the back, it was on its last race.

The air was sizzling with anticipation as everyone watched for the starting light to turn green. When it did so, everyone took off so quickly, Luke barely had time to realize the race had started. He quickly accelerated hard, entering the wide tunnel mouth and trying to keep up with the Speedsters.

It was going well, until he suddenly felt someone on his tail. He glanced around to see a small Rodian, on a bike modified with sharp spikes jutting out the sides, trying to ram him into the wall.

Luke swerved out of the way, and hit the accelerator. He stayed ahead for a few meters, then felt the Rodian behind him again. His temper started to rise. He took a swerve left, then a swerve right, and suddenly did a ninety-degree turn into a side tunnel. The Rodian swept past outside, and so did all the other racers. Luke gunned the engine, and continued down the tunnel, trying desperately to keep his sense of direction.

The twitching in his stomach began to get worse as he realized no one else had followed him. This tunnel had to be a dead end. His first race, and he was going to come last! He briefly considered turning back, but it wouldn't make any difference to his position now. All he could do was press on and hope he'd come out into a main tunnel.

Ten minutes later, Luke was convinced he was completely lost. He couldn't even hear the other racers. He was going to be lucky to get out of here before midnight. Ben would be convinced he'd died in here.

Ben ... thoughts of his friend caused him to remember some advice his friend had once given him, about how to complete a difficult level on a hologame. A sure way to get out of a maze was to follow a wall. Luke jammed on the brakes and took the next left. The tunnel was so narrow, it was barely wide enough for his bike. He didn't slow down for a second, relying on his reflexes to avoid a collision.

He took another left, and a new sound filled his ears. The wind. He must be nearing an exit. He took the next right, and the _Bloodfin_ came skidding out into a much larger tunnel. The bike's repulsor lifts shuddered, struggling to compensate for his sudden brake. In the distance, there was a deep hum, and the walls were shaking slightly. The racers? Maybe they weren't too far ahead.

Luke turned the _Bloodfin_ around, and began to accelerate in the direction of the sound. He grinned as the noise grew louder. He must be catching up ... maybe he had a chance after all! But his grin disappeared as he came over a rise. There were thirty speeders heading straight for him at 300ks an hour.

Luke swore. He swung the _Bloodfin_ into a three-sixty turn, causing the stabilizers to screech in protest, and then squeezed the accelerator as hard as he could. He closed his eyes, certain that any moment he was going to be rammed by some desperate racer and end up as a smear on the side of the tunnel.

When he opened them, he found himself heading straight for a group of spectators. They screamed and scattered left and right, leaving him traveling straight into a durasteel wall.

"Aaah!" he yelled, hitting the brake as hard as he could. The _Bloodfin_ skidded, and slammed into the wall sideways. Luke was thrown off the bike and sprawled into a pile of large rubbish bags. He lay still for a few moments, staring at the sky, and wondering if he was still in one piece.

An even better question ... was the _Bloodfin_ in one piece? He glanced up, seeing his beloved bike was resting a few meters away, with the engine still humming away on idle. The front stabilizer was completely crunched. That would keep him busy for a few weeks.

Someone shouted his name, and Luke shuffled off the rubbish bags. Pike was running towards him, followed closely by Ben. And about half a dozen other people Luke didn't recognize.

"Are you okay?!" Ben asked.

"I ... I think so," Luke said, raising the visor on his helmet. He felt better than he did after ejecting from the _Dunesea_ , but that wasn't saying much. Pike grabbed his arm, yanking him forward.

"Way to go, Luke!" he said, grinning. "Great stuff! Nice finish, too ... I haven't managed to ram the spectators in months!"

"Uh, thanks," Luke said, slightly confused. "Did you beat Naft?"

"No. But you did! You won, Luke!"

"What?" Luke's mouth fell open in disbelief.

The crowd around him had been growing steadily. The rest of the Speedsters had arrived at this point, and Yilu didn't look too pleased.

"How did he manage to win? It's his first time racing."

"He must have cheated!" someone yelled.

"He should be disqualified for crashing!"

Luke stared around, not knowing who to respond to first. Suddenly, he felt himself blinded by the flash of a holocamera. A media recording device was shoved into his face. There was a Devorian on the other end of it, wearing a media pass.

"What's your name, human?!"

"Luke, let's get out of here!" Ben said, pulling him away.

"Yeah, let's go celebrate at Brock's," Pike said, pushing Luke forward. "You can pick up your prize."

"I'm waiting for the final video analysis," Yilu said, folding his arms.

"Stop being a jerk," Fushna said, rolling her eyes. "You came second, Yilu. The kid won —get over it."

"Yeah, we'll make him a Speedster," Pike said. "Then we can rub his win in the Nova's faces."

"Really? I can be a Speedster?" Luke was ecstatic. "Thanks!"

He was interrupted by the hum of the _Bloodfin's_ engine. Ben had pried it away from the wall and driven it over.

"It's been great," Ben said to the Speedsters. "But Luke and I really have to get going. Come on, Luke!"

He grabbed Luke by the back of his tunic, pushing him on to the back of the _Bloodfin._ Before Luke could stop him, they'd shot off through the crowd.

"What the—?!" Luke said, utterly confused by this behavior from Ben. "I won! I want to stay and celebrate! Go back!"

They'd reached the outer edge of the spectator crowd now, and Ben pulled the bike over. He turned around to speak to Luke.

"Are you crazy? Didn't you see all those flashes? People were taking pictures!"

"So what?! I won!"

"Luke," Ben said. "Think about it. They're going to analyse those pictures to try and figure out who you are. Did I miss something—did you mention to your father that you'd be spending the night down here?"

"No, but so what. He's not going to find out."

"He will when it's all over the tabloids tomorrow," Ben said. "Exclusive! Lord Vader's son is an underworld speed demon!"

Luke was silent, the taste of victory suddenly going sour. He knew Ben was right.

"Fine. But I'm driving back."

Ben climbed off, swapping places with Luke.

"I don't know," Ben mumbled. "Why am I the only one with any brains?"

Luke was about to drive off, when a shout made him pause. The shout was followed by a Wookiee roar. He turned around, seeing Han and Chewie.

"Luke! Kid, I'm rich!"

Chewie pulled Luke off the bike, giving him a very hairy hug.

"I've never had a bet pay off so well. We're out of this concrete junkheap, thanks to you! I owe you one!"

Luke tried to say 'you're welcome', but he couldn't breathe properly. Finally, Chewie released him, and roared out something that sounded important.

"Chewie says you're lucky," Han said. "We could use you, kid. Why don't you come with us?"

Luke gazed up at the small patch of visible sky, almost tempted. He could see the galaxy. No more galactic responsibilities, no more creepy Emperor. Just freedom ...

But he'd never see his father again. Han and Chewie weren't the type of friends he could drop by with and introduce.

"I can't," Luke said. "Not that I wouldn't like to."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, kid ... look us up. We're always delivering stuff to this hunk of metal."

Han reached out to shake his hand. Luke took it, and found he was holding a datachip.

"That's the _Falcon's_ comm frequency."

"The _Falcon_ has a working comlink?" Luke said, grinning.

"Don't push your luck, kid. You may have got me out of a jam, but no one insults the _Falcon_."

"Goodbye, Han," Luke said, climbing back on the _Bloodfin_. He found himself hoping he'd see his new friends again someday.

* * *

It was later than he'd intended to come home, and Luke had been hoping his father would still be at IMH. But as soon as he switched off the _Bloodfin's_ engine, he could feel the familiar sense of his overprotective parent, reaching out through the Force to greet him. Luke hastily threw a drop sheet over the damaged bike, and then stripped off his jacket, and tried to straighten his hair.

After a short elevator ride, he began the overly familiar task of sneaking quietly down the corridor, hoping to reach his room without any unwanted questions. No such luck.

_Son. Come here._

Luke froze. "Come here" in that tone of voice wasn't what he wanted to hear right now. He could feel his father's presence in the conference room.

_It's late, and I have school tomorrow_ , he tried.

_Then I suggest you don't stall._

Luke sighed, and reached out to open the doors to the conference room. Better to get it over with. His father was sitting on the other side of the round black table.

"How was the reception?"

"Oh, fine," Luke said, hovering in the doorway.

"Just fine?"

Luke shrugged. "I've endured worse."

His father put a datapad on the table, and then used the Force to slide it over to the edge closest to Luke.

"What's that?"

"The Coruscant Society News asked for permission to publish these pictures."

Luke quickly walked forward and picked up the datapad, almost dreading what he'd see. He was already anticipating the start of a full parental interrogation, when the screen lit up with a picture of him and Leia.

"Oh," Luke said, grinning. "That's a nice picture."

Leia was smiling in it, clearly amused by something he'd said. He'd have to make a copy of it.

"Keep going."

Luke realized there were more, and pressed the forward button. The next one showed him being dragged off the main floor by Ophelia. His expression wasn't flattering. The last one was of him and Armith, and then they thankfully came to an end. He looked up, wondering if it would actually be better if they'd been pictures of him winning the tunnel race.

"Is there something we need to discuss?" his father asked, in a dry tone.

"No!"

"For instance, how you have gone from general reticence on the subject of romantic relationships, to being photographed with three different young women in one night. I would have appreciated some warning about this development."

Luke groaned, and gripped the back of a chair. "Stars, you can't be seen within three meters of a girl without someone thinking you're a couple. Who invited the media, anyhow?"

"The Quasher royal family. I have already made it clear to this tabloid that you remain off limits."

Luke's eyes widened. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No. If nothing else, they have proven themselves useful for keeping me informed about your newfound interest in—"

"Not dating anyone!" Luke insisted.

"The assistant who gave this to me said you had spent hours in the library alone with Princess Leia."

Luke let his head sink into his arms, wondering which palace gossip he had to thank for that. Maybe Lev could find out for him.

"She's a friend," he said into his arms.

"Did you admit to your relationship to me?"

"Not yet," Luke said, straightening up and letting his arms drop. "I will. Uh … soon."

"In any case, it is clear that I need to set some new rules. It is not appropriate for you to be alone with a young woman without a chaperone."

Luke just about choked. "A chaperone?! Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Did you have a chaperone when you were my age?"

"No. Which is why I was an expectant father when I was barely out of my teens."

"And look how well that turned out," Luke said, grinning.

His father just continued to study him.

"Okay, okay," Luke said, raising his hands. "Listen, you can stop your worrying right now. I already have a chaperone. It's called 'being the son of a Sith Lord'. Automatically keeps all the girls away every hour of the day, every day of the year."

"One can hope," his father said, pointing at him.

"Goodnight," Luke said, turning to leave. As he did so, he caught sight of a large screen on the wall behind him. One half of it was a ground battle deployment map, and the other showed a satellite view of a city. A bar at the top read 'Deployment Phase Progress' and had various percentage points. He looked down, feeling all the stress return.

"Quasher is being invaded?" Luke asked, quietly.

"We are only deploying a legion to a troublespot. How the operation unfolds from here is entirely up to their leaders."

Luke glanced at the screen again, seeing his own face reflected over the top of the growing number of red dots on the surface.

Imperial Walkers.

* * *


	9. The Emperor's Offer

_"Are you going to offer some kind of explanation?"_

_Luke felt a rush of anger at the diminishing tone. His power flared, fighting to be unleashed on the source of his ire. "Don't talk to me like that. My mission was a success. It was good enough for the Emperor. Why isn't it good enough for you?"_

_His father turned away, pacing in the conference room. Luke sat back on the table, and picked up his lightsaber hilt. He tossed it to the floor, and then used the Force to pull it into his hand._

_"You were ordered to kill the Quasher crown prince," his father said. "That was all. Not his wife, children, in-laws and infant grandchildren."_

_"I was just being thorough," Luke said, with a smirk. He stretched out a hand, attempting to steal his father's lightsaber away from his belt. It never even twitched. His power had doubled in the last year, but he still wasn't that powerful. Not yet._

_"You indulged in a wanton murderous rampage!" his father insisted._

_Luke snorted. "Like you haven't."_

_"We are not talking about me. Even if we were, I have never killed children for my own amusement."_

_"Oh, let me bow down in your presence, guardian of moral virtue," Luke said, standing up. "It's always one standard for you, one standard for me. I'm sick of you and your hypocrisy. You're just jealous of my power! The Emperor appreciates me."_

_"The Emperor is not your father."_

_"He treats me better than you ever did!"_

_"He has defiled you."_

_"He's shown me true power," Luke said. "He cares for me enough to let me express myself."_

_"He doesn't care for you. You are naïve to think so. He simply uses you to further his own ends."_

_"Just because you failed him doesn't mean that I have. I'm what he always wanted you to be. The future of the Sith Order! He said so himself."_

_There was a prolonged silence._

_"I do not believe I know you anymore," his father said, quietly._

_"You just can't handle change. Anyway, I don't have time for your complaining right now. The Emperor has given me a new mission."_

_"What mission?"_

_"I'm going to hunt down my twin. He knows that you've failed ... or maybe you weren't even trying."_

_His father turned away, staring at an empty stretch of wall. "Perhaps I don't want to see another child of mine become the Emperor's slave."_

_"Traitor!" Luke spat. He then turned and walked towards the exit with grim determination._

* * *

A sudden jolt in the Force caused Vader to look up from his work on the _Dunesea's_ forward defense mounts. There was only one person who could cause such tremors in the Force, and it was far too early for him to be awake.

_Luke? What is it?_

There was no response to his query. Vader started walking towards the elevators, but he was halted by an embarrassed acknowledgement.

_I'm okay._

_What happened?_

_Nothing. I'm going back to sleep._

The link was closed. It was abrupt for Luke, but then, he was never at his best when he first woke up. It was tempting to consider going to Luke's bedroom and ensuring there really was nothing amiss, but that would likely annoy Luke further. As his son was always telling him, he was seventeen years old and more than capable of handling a bad dream.

Vader turned back to the shuttle, idly wondering how it was possible for his son to have inherited something so abstract as a tendency to have nightmares. He would take it back in a second, if only he could. He took his frustration out on a misaligned stabilizer, bending it with a pair of pliers until it snapped. Although he didn't like to acknowledge it, he sometimes broke things simply to give him something to fix.

Twenty minutes later, he heard the sound of an elevator arriving. He didn't need to look to know it was Luke. When he appeared alongside him, he stared at the stabilizer in annoyance.

"I spent ages on that!"

"Clearly not long enough," Vader said, glancing at him. His son was fully dressed in his school uniform and carried a steaming mug in his hand. "It fell off. What happened?"

Luke shrugged. "I guess it wasn't sealed properly."

"No, I mean earlier. Did you have a nightmare?"

"It was nothing," Luke said, wandering over to sit on the boarding ramp. "I just couldn't get back to sleep."

"It didn't feel like nothing. What was your dream about?"

"Nothing," Luke repeated, sipping his drink. "It was stupid. For example—in the dream I had a twin. Imagine that."

"A twin? There were _two_ of you? Definitely a nightmare."

Luke gave him a long-suffering look of non-amusement, and then took another sip. He stared into the mug for a moment, and then said, quietly, "That's impossible, right?"

Vader stared at his son, considering the idea. Padmé had not visited a medical facility during her pregnancy, for fear of discovery. Only a medical droid had examined her, and it was possible something could have been missed. But the chances of that were almost non-existent, and besides, if there had been two children, Obi-Wan would have taken them both.

"Impossible," Vader agreed.

Luke nodded, and Vader sensed both relief and disappointment. His son fidgeted for a moment, and his face was covered with an expression as if he really wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure if he should. It was familiar to Vader, but he hadn't seen it in a long while.

"Do you think you'd have had more?" Luke said, finally. "If things had been ... different."

"More what?" Vader asked.

"You know ... children."

"Why are you asking this?" Vader said, struggling to push back the terrible memories.

"Sorry," Luke said, quickly. "I didn't mean ... let's just change the subject."

"Luke, the only thing that matters is the here and now. Dwelling on what might have been is pointless."

"Forget I mentioned it," Luke repeated, standing up.

"Besides," Vader said, distantly. "As a father, I have already been blessed far more than I deserve. To wish for more would be ... audacious."

Luke stared in surprise, before looking away and smiling to himself, in a slightly embarrassed way. He sat down again and stared at the floor.

Vader returned to working on the stabilizer mount, wondering why he'd said that.

"How are your studies progressing?" Vader asked, to break the silence.

"Okay," Luke said. "My final exams are in a few weeks."

"Perhaps you are having nightmares because you are stressed."

"I won't start stressing over them until a few days before," Luke said, grinning. "Ben, on the other hand ... he's been worrying since last summer. I don't know why ... he already has provisional acceptance into medical school based on his mid-year results, and now he has a scholarship too."

"Perhaps growing up among the children of the powerful has given him an inferiority complex, which manifests in a need to prove himself."

"What?" Luke said, looking blank. "Anyway, speaking of him, we were talking yesterday about going for a hyperspace trip after graduation."

"A hyperspace trip?"

"You know ... cruising around the galaxy, sight-seeing. There are a few places I'd like to see."

"You will have your own ship, I take it," Vader said. "Because none of mine will be leaving this hangar bay."

"You mean we can go if I have my own ship?" Luke said, his eyes shining. "Great!"

"I did not say that. You will have far more important matters to attend to after you graduate. And speaking of your preparation ... you have an appointment with General Mylock, a senior military strategist, at IMH. 1600 tomorrow afternoon. If I return from Quasher in time, I will take you myself to introduce you."

"You're going to Quasher?"

"Yes. I have a particular task to perform at the Emperor's request. It should not take long."

A vague feeling of unease passed over their link, and Luke looked away. "What task?" he mumbled.

"It is no concern of yours."

Luke sighed. "What will I be learning at IMH? Flight techniques?"

"IMH deal more with the larger issues surrounding military deployment. Combat strategy but on a galactic scale."

"You know where I'd learn even more about combat strategy? Pilot academy."

"Luke …"

"I know, I know, but I really want to do it."

"You do not need to go to the academy to learn how to fly in combat. I can teach you myself."

"I know, but you're busy most of the time. Besides, I want to _earn_ a rank. I don't want every other pilot saying I'm only Commander Skywalker because I'm your son."

"Commander Skywalker," Vader repeated, feeling some old memories try and creep into his thoughts.

"Nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"If you are not careful, Commander, you are going to be late for school. Eat some breakfast—a _proper_ breakfast. Whatever you're drinking does not count."

"I was waiting for that," Luke said, standing up and stretching.

"And do not concern yourself with the future, young one. The Force will guide you towards your destiny."

For some reason, the words made Luke look uncomfortable. Vader stretched out along their link, seeking further understanding, but his son brushed him away.

"I'll see you later if you're still here," he said, walking off towards the elevators.

Vader stared after him, making a mental note to confront Luke about this resistance in the near future. He had thought they'd covered that after the incident with the hydrospanner, but perhaps not. It was becoming a worry. In all his years at the temple, he had never encountered a Jedi who was reluctant to embrace his or her power. In his own experience, it had felt like the most natural thing in the world to let go and let the Force take over.

Perhaps his son was still worried about being considered a 'freak' by his peers. Or perhaps this was more fallout from the choking incident. Either way, he would need to get to the bottom of this, as the Emperor would take it as a sign of Luke's instability and declare him unsuitable for training.

He glanced back at the _Dunesea_ , considering whether he trusted Luke's skills enough to take this ship to Quasher, or whether he would do better to take an interceptor or a larger starfighter. Given the nature of his mission, something with some stealth might be preferable.

A minute later, an assistant entered the hangar, and Vader turned away from the ship in anticipation of an update on the ground situation on Quasher. The timing of his own mission would need to be carefully considered.

"My lord, we have received an update from Admiral Thurwill. All troops are now deployed, and the next phase of the operation is underway. There is a Joint Chiefs meeting scheduled in an hour for a full briefing."

"Very well."

"We also received this from a protocol droid." He passed him an old-fashioned black flimsi envelope. "We were told it was vitally important you receive it but the droid said the sender was classified."

There was nothing inside but a blank piece of card. The ensign looked anxious at the realization.

"My apologies, sir, it must have been a mistake."

Vader ran a hand over it, sensing a stirring in the Force. This card was hiding something.

"If you wish, I could have it analysed by the ISB."

"I will look into it myself," Vader said, immediately. If the sender of this message intended it to go through ISB, they would have had it delivered there first. Someone had wanted it placed directly into his hands.

Either it was an assassination attempt, or information of such value that the sender feared any discovery.

"As you wish, sir. I will return to my duties."

As the ensign walked away, Vader turned the card over in his hands. This was going to require some thought.

* * *

"That wall must be really interesting."

Luke blinked rapidly, and then forced himself to focus on Ben.

"Huh?"

"The wall. You've been staring at it for half an hour. But don't let me disturb you."

Luke gazed around, remembering they were in the library. He groaned in frustration, and then scrolled his datareader back to the start. He was going to learn this galactic history until he could recite it in his sleep.

"Throw something at me if I do that again," Luke said. "I need to concentrate."

"You've been doing it all morning. In politics, the teacher called your name twice, and then he just gave up. I think your mind is still winning that tunnel race."

"I wish."

Ben was silent. He was pouring over something that looked like another language to Luke. Numbers and strange symbols.

"Ben," Luke said, suddenly. "Can I ask you a ... philosophical question?"

"You mean like the meaning of life?"

"Do you think a dream can ever be a vision of the future?"

Ben stared at him. His work lay forgotten. "You had a dream about the future?"

"I never said that."

"You had a dream, and you're wondering if it was a vision of the future? What was it about?"

Luke was about to speak, but then he hesitated. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then mumbled a reply.

"I killed someone."

"You dreamed about killing someone?" Ben looked vaguely disturbed. "Who?"

"I didn't kill anyone during the dream. But there was talk ..."

"Maybe it was a sign of repressed anger," Ben said. "You should run it by the counsellor droid." He resumed his work. "I'd visit you if you were committed."

"Thanks," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"You could ask your father," Ben said, finally.

"I'm afraid he'll say it's a Force thing," Luke admitted. "That dreaming about the future happens all the time."

"I don't think so," Ben said. "If that were true, the Rebellion wouldn't exist. The Emperor or your father would have foreseen it, and ended it before it started."

"I never thought of that."

"And your father would have already known you would crash the _Dunesea_ before it happened—and told you not to do it."

"Maybe it only happens sometimes," Luke said. "Maybe the Force is trying to warn me about something."

"Warn you not to kill someone? Have you ever even _wanted_ to kill someone?"

"Once," Luke admitted.

"Who?"

"The person who killed my aunt and uncle," Luke explained. "But in my dream, it isn't a revenge killing. It's some strangers that I was ordered to kill by ... by someone."

"Maybe it's not the future, but instead it represents your _fears_ about the future," Ben suggested.

"I have been worrying about ... certain things," Luke said, thinking of the Force powers he'd exhibited in the dream.

"About what you'll be expected to do when they start giving you more responsibilities?"

"Yes, and … other things." Luke started to voice his thoughts, but then stopped. As smart as Ben was, his friend would not understand the Force.

"Or maybe you're right, and I'm just going crazy."

* * *

For the first time in many long years, Vader found himself wishing Obi-Wan was still around. Solving problems that required a lot of patience had always been his domain. He could still recall one particular mission when Obi-Wan had spent an entire week working on a Migoli sliding cube, which had been gifted to them on arrival by the Migoli prime minister. His former self had spent an hour trying to solve it, and then thrown it out a third story window in frustration.

He wished passionately he could do the same with this annoyingly blank piece of something. It didn't respond to heat or light of any spectrum, and putting it under water merely made it wet. The most annoying thing was the fact that whoever sent it clearly thought him smart enough to figure it out, which made him feel more stupid by the minute.

Finally, he'd withdrawn to his meditation chamber to get some rest before departing for Quasher. But as was a common occurrence, when he withdrew deep into the Force, Vader found his thoughts were occupied by Luke. His son was deeply troubled about something. And when Luke was troubled, nothing good ever came of it. He should endeavour to spend more time with him, and then perhaps he'd feel able to confide in his father.

As he watched Luke's glowing presence in the Force, he became aware of a new element. The Dark Side, swirling below his son's presence. His destiny.

Perhaps that was the nature of his son's fears. Even if he didn't understand the specifics, he understood his father had lost who he was in the pursuit of complete understanding of the Force. That would not happen to Luke. Destroying Anakin Skywalker had been necessary. Luke could retain as much of himself as he wanted. There was so much he needed to explain, but it would have to wait until he returned from Quasher.

Not for the first time, Vader felt unease as he thought of his pending departure, although the Force yielded no answers as to why. Perhaps the answer was contained on that blank piece of nothing that had been driving him crazy all day.

Vader glanced over to where it lay, resting innocently on top of the monitor. The sight of it caused him to suck in a breath in shock. The movement instantly made him cough, as he wasn't wearing the respirator.

When the pain subsided, Vader snatched the card, and held it up. It was covered in a few short sentences, etched out in purplish marks clearly caused by some kind of chemical reaction. Vader glanced around, instantly comprehending. The pure oxygen atmosphere. As blindingly obvious as he'd expected it would be.

He focused on the words, and began to read.

A moment later, his fingers contracted, and the message disintegrated into a withered ball. His first instinct was to storm up to the towers, find his master, and make his displeasure known. Preferably with the blade end of a lightsaber. But even as he pressed the button to lower the mask, he realized that was a foolish idea. He would die very quickly, and Luke would be left at the Emperor's mercy.

Even if he left his lightsaber behind, it still did not amount to a fruitful plan of action. It was more than obvious who had sent this note. Only someone who worked closely with the Emperor would be privy to the unfortunate visitors lured into his private office.

If any whiff of this breach of loyalty reached the Emperor's ears, he who was responsible would be scheduled for immediate execution. If usual procedure was followed, the task would fall to the Emperor's personal executioner. Perhaps Luke had mellowed him, but somehow the thought of having to execute the father of his son's friend was deeply disturbing.

So perhaps discussing this with his master could be put on hold for now. But there was someone else who was going to provide an explanation.

* * *

Luke's head was full of thoughts of the _Bloodfin_ as he stepped out of his speeder. After spending two hours after class in the library with Ben, he had earned some time for more interesting activities. He needed to get to work on fixing that broken stabilizer, and then start finding ways to force some more acceleration out of it. After all, he had a title to defend in the next tunnel race.

The workroom where he kept the bike had the lights off, and he ran his fingers over the controls as he walked in. As the lights flickered on, illuminating the room, he was brought up short by the sight of his father. For some reason, he was waiting in the middle of the room, still and silent.

"Stars, do you have to be so dramatic?" Luke complained, putting his bag of fast food on the bench. "A little warning, next time! I thought you were leaving?"

His father didn't reply. Instead he swept past him and sealed the doors.

Luke glanced up at his father, sensing all was not well with his mood. He quickly established some distance between them, backing up against the workbench. Before he had a chance to ask what was wrong, his father waved a hand towards him, lifting him into the air and pushing him back until he was sitting on the raised surface. The gesture put them on eye level.

His father then took a step back and folded his arms.

Luke's gaze wandered to the _Bloodfin_ , still hidden under a sheet. Perhaps he had found out about the Speedsters and the tunnel race. His father still hadn't spoken, and he was clenching his fingers together as he often did when trying to control his anger. Luke began to fidget nervously. Perhaps he should apologise, although he wasn't entirely sure which one of his many recent adventures was to blame for this.

"Son," his father said, finally, "I want to know two things."

"Okay," Luke said, carefully.

"What have you been discussing with the Emperor, and why did you not tell me these meetings had taken place?"

Luke stared blankly, wondering how in space he was going to handle this. He was completely unprepared.

"Answer me!" his father snapped.

"Stop overreacting!" Luke said, holding up his hands.

"Overreacting?! I have spent years protecting you from the Emperor." He unfolded his arms in order to point at him. "Is this how you show your gratitude?"

"He told me not to say anything, and I didn't want to cause an argument between you and him! It was no big deal ... just talk about politics and the Empire. He wanted to know how my senate lessons were going."

"And did he mention the Force?"

"He's always talking about the Force," Luke said, waving a hand in dismissal. "So are you."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it, Son. Has he been training you?"

"I ... I don't know," Luke said, fighting back tears. The only thing he could remember at the moment was his dream from the night before. "I ... maybe you should ask him."

"You are lying!"

"All right, yes, he talked about the Force!" Luke heard his voice break as he spoke his next words. "I went to him because I wanted to stop this. I don't want anything to do with the Force!"

"You _went_ to him?"

Luke was silent, looking down.

"You have betrayed me."

"What?" He looked up, hardly believing what he was hearing. " _Betrayed_ you? That's ridiculous!"

His father stepped closer, and Luke hastily pushed himself off the workbench, back to the floor.

"He has been training you to replace me. Admit it!"

"That's not true. How can you even say that?! What's wrong with you?"

In response, his father's hand moved towards his lightsaber, and Luke felt a rush of fear that sent him stumbling back towards the _Bloodfin_. There was nowhere to hide in the small room, and his father, or whoever that was impersonating his father, was blocking the exit. Luke looked back, dreading what he was going to see.

But his father, whether he'd come to his senses, or merely tired of the conversation, had turned away. The last thing he saw, through his blurred vision, was the edge of the cape disappearing out the door.

Shortly afterwards, it was followed by the sound of his TIE fighter engine igniting.

* * *

Two hours into hyperspace, it occurred to Vader that perhaps there was something in Luke's comment that he had overreacted. Things always seemed clearer out here, away from the crushing confines of Coruscant. His anger over the Emperor's actions had not receded, but rationality had returned. Of course Luke had not betrayed him. It was more likely the Emperor had threatened to hurt the boy's friends if he didn't go along with this. He could only feel gratitude that he still had the presence of mind to leave before he'd lost his temper entirely and hurt the boy.

The Emperor was entirely to blame for anything that might have occurred between them. Unfortunately he hadn't taken the time to find out exactly what that was. But he knew this: all his master's veiled threats, all his disapproving remarks about Luke's very existence ... it was all an act. Another one of his distracting displays to hide his true intentions. His real plan was to replace him with his son. And who could blame him? His son was young, healthy, and bursting with potential. Just as a young Anakin had usurped Dooku, his master saw an opportunity to make a new apprentice out of Luke.

As usual, his master was clearly convinced that this plan would work. Instead it would be his downfall. The Emperor did not understand Luke, and he never could. Luke was _his_ son, and the ties of blood between them would withstand any false promises used to lure Luke away.

It was time he made some plans of his own. He would go along with this for now, and allow the Emperor to train Luke. Then, when Luke had reached his full potential, they would be unstoppable. They would take the galaxy back from the Emperor's grip, and rule it together, as father and son. At last there would be peace and order. Everything he'd sacrificed and suffered would finally produce results.

But all this was still far into the future. There was something in the here and now to deal with. As soon as he came out of hyperspace, he needed to contact his son and have a more rational discussion about the Emperor and his ways and means. A discussion that didn't involve shouting and accusations. If past arguments were anything to go by, his son had probably been hurt by his remarks. He should attempt to set things right.

Then he would complete this mission on Quasher and return as soon as possible. Leaving Luke alone on Coruscant when his master clearly had some nefarious plan wasn't wise. If he hadn't been so fearful of his own temper, he would have taken the boy with him for his own protection.

After another half hour of brooding, Vader was relieved to see the hyperspace reversion alarm light up. When normal space once more filled the cockpit window, he activated the appropriate security encryption, and then he entered Luke's frequency. The equipment flickered for a few seconds, negotiating the connection to Coruscant, and then it went straight to a message service.

"Hi. I'm not available right now, so please leave a message."

The holographic Luke disappeared, and a light came on to indicate he was being recorded.

"Luke, how many times have I told you not to switch your comlink off?" Vader said, annoyed. "Especially when I am away from Coruscant. Never do so again!"

He paused for a moment, wondering if that was really the best opening for an apology call. It was too late now, regardless.

"I want you to be careful while I am not there. Be on your guard. Pay attention to your instincts, and listen to your feelings. I will return as soon as possible."

He was about to stop the recording, but he had a feeling he should add something more. This wasn't easy.

"Perhaps I said some things during our earlier conversation that I might not have said had I taken more time to consider the situation. I hope you have not taken anything I said to heart."

He hoped Luke would understand what he meant.

"You may contact me at any time if you wish to discuss anything, but be warned, there is no guarantee of privacy while using this method of communication. It may be prudent to wait for my return to discuss anything of a sensitive nature. Be sure to get to bed early and eat proper meals."

He shut down the comlink and looked back at the cockpit window. The growing fleet around Quasher was spread out in front of him. As always, duty called.

* * *

It was halfway through his second class of the day when Luke made it to school. Lev had kindly written him a note explaining his lateness, which B-60 had accepted after five minutes of arguing. Ben took one look at the circles under his eyes, and didn't bother to ask.

When the lunch break rolled around, they went to the locker hall. Luke tried to start a conversation about the _Bloodfin's_ engine, but Ben interrupted.

"Why was your comlink switched off last night? Did you get my message?"

"I didn't feel like talking to anyone," Luke said. "I haven't checked the messages yet. Why, what was it?"

"Nothing," Ben said. "My father said I should check up on you, and I wanted to see if you'd taken my history notes by accident. What happened? You look like you didn't sleep. Was something going on at the palace? Or another weird dream?"

Luke shook his head. He opened his locker and started loading all his datapads in.

"I had an argument with my father. Well, he had one with me."

"What about?"

Luke closed the locked door and sunk his head against it. "He found out the Emperor had been talking to me. Then he accused me of betraying him."

"That sounds familiar," Ben said. "Parents can be such nerf herders sometimes."

"Yeah," Luke said, distantly. He turned away. "Let's go eat."

Ben glanced at him again as they walked down the corridor towards the cafeteria. "He'll probably apologise later. Maybe he was just surprised and lost his temper."

Luke didn't reply. How could he explain to Ben that he was worried his father actually had a point? He felt deep shame whenever he thought about his chats with the Emperor. He could have walked out of that office at any moment. He could have avoided speaking with him in the first place. Instead, he'd let himself be drawn into this, and the terrifying dreams were the result.

When they entered the cafeteria, they headed immediately for their usual corner table. But someone was already sitting there. Armith. He and Ben glanced at each other, and then Luke approached the table. "Hi, Armith."

She glanced up, and then gave a small smile. "Oh. Hi, Luke. Sorry, is this where you usually sit?"

She made to stand up, but Luke hastily gestured for her to sit back down. "It's no problem." Luke sat down on the other side. Ben joined him. They began to eat, and Luke glanced around, trying to think of something to talk about with Armith. Before the silence had lasted too long, Ben came to his rescue.

"Did you argue with Ophelia?" Ben asked, gesturing over the other side of the lunchroom.

Luke looked over and saw Ophelia was in her usual place, sitting among the other sons and daughters of the Imperial aristocracy. Armith would normally have been sitting on Ophelia's right, much like how his father always stood or sat on the Emperor's right at official events.

"She said I can't sit with them until I break up with Tyloid," Armith said, poking miserably at her lunch.

"What? That's so mean," Luke said, annoyed. "And I thought you did break up with him?"

"So did I," Armith said, twirling one of her long braids around her finger. "But he asked me to be his date for a ball at the Quasher embassy next week, and somehow I just said yes."

Luke made a mental note to make sure he was busy on that day.

"You could always say you changed your mind," Ben said.

Armith stared at Ben for a moment, and then said, "You look familiar. What's your name again?"

Ben gave Luke a look, which clearly said 'will you forgive me if I say something rude?'. Luke was in the process of considering the answer to that question, when a loud voice caused them all to jump.

"Surprise!"

Armith started and turned around, only to find Tyloid had slipped into the lunchroom and crept up behind her. He was carrying a large bunch of flowers, which he tossed on the table, letting them fall into Ben's lunch. Then he pulled her up by her arm and started kissing her, much to Luke's annoyance. Younger students at nearby tables began to giggle and point.

Armith finally managed to extract herself, and then took a step backwards.

"Why are you sitting with Darth Junior and his pleb sidekick?" Tyloid demanded, finally noticing them. "Never mind. I've come to bust you out of here."

He grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. Luke was about to protest, but Armith yanked her hand back.

"Ty, I ... I'm trying to eat lunch. We'll do something later."

"We can do something now and later," Tyloid said, reaching back to grab her again. "Although you'll need to get changed for later. That school uniform does nothing for you."

"Get your hands off her!" Luke said, standing up.

Tyloid looked at him in amusement. "Sorry, this one's taken, junior. You'll have to get your own girl if you want one."

"Excuse me?" Armith said. "Look, please just leave, Ty!"

Other students had begun to gather around at this point, anticipating a fight. Luke walked out from behind the table, and Ben quickly stood up to join him.

"She doesn't want anything to do with you!" Luke said, feeling his anger rise. "No one does! Why are you even here? The Empire has invaded your planet and they're probably bombing the cities to rubble as we speak! Don't you even care about the people you're supposed to represent?"

His words caused several bystanders to cheer and applaud.

Tyloid stepped towards him, eyes flashing. "My planet hasn't been invaded, you puddle of hutt slime!"

"Stop it!" Armith said, sounding distressed. "Fine, I'll go with you. Just leave Luke alone—"

Before she'd finished, Tyloid shoved her back into the table. "You stay out of this!"

All desire Luke had to keep his temper in check, disappeared in a flash of red. He rushed at Tyloid, and pushed him away from Armith. They struggled briefly while the crowd cheered around them, and then Tyloid managed to hit him squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling backwards.

Ben caught him, preventing him from falling over. Greein and Cadi, some of the other boys in their class, were pushing through the crowd to come and help. Even Ophelia had appeared, moving to pull Armith away to safety.

Ben was urging Cadi to trip the security alarm, which would immediately summon the school's security droids. This couldn't be allowed to end like that. Luke shook off Ben's hand, and then raised his hand. Tyloid was walking determinedly towards him, baring his teeth like an animal. Deep inside him, Luke felt his anger swelling; it was almost a living thing. He could squeeze the life out of this vile person with only a thought. Just like shattering that glass.

Tyloid's mouth fell open in surprise, even as he was raising a fist to hit him again. A strangled cry left his mouth, and his hands reached frantically for his throat.

Luke watched in satisfaction as Tyloid fell to his knees, his eyes bulging in fear. The power surging through his body was ... indescribable. He could do _anything_. The cries of the other students had faded away, there was no one here but—

Something cold and wet hit him square in the face, obscuring his vision. His concentration slipped, and the power rushed away, just as quickly as it had gathered. It left him feeling cold and empty, and he shivered involuntarily. The shouts and screams around him became loud once again, and a hand tightened around his forearm. The last thing he saw, as Ben dragged him away, was Tyloid's wide-eyed fear.

* * *

Luke stared at Ben as his friend paced up and down, munching non-stop on a packet of Cosmo Crunchies. They were waiting in an unused office. Every so often, Ben would see people walking past outside, and report back to Luke on who was talking with the principal, Miss Silva.

They had been here for over an hour.

"Want one?" Ben said, pushing the packet in Luke's direction.

"No," Luke said, distantly. He didn't bother to tell his friend that he'd already offered five minutes ago.

"What's taking so long?" Ben said, finally. "She's been talking with that Quasher aide for twenty minutes now."

Tyloid had been inspected by the school medical droid, and declared in good health, according to the information Ben had extracted from B-60. But when his staff had arrived, they had instantly had him transferred to a medical center in an ambulance ship. That was no surprise to Luke.

He rubbed his arms, feeling like he had goosebumps under his school uniform.

"Is it cold in here?" Luke asked.

Ben shook his head.

Behind him, there was the sound of a door sliding open. Ben instantly went to the doorway and watched as the Quasher aide left the room.

"Hopefully that means we're next," Ben said.

Luke wasn't so eager to speak with the principal, but it appeared Ben's prediction was right. B-60 appeared in the open doorway.

"Miss Silva would like to see you now," he said.

Luke stood up, and started to follow Ben, but B-60 stopped him.

"Not you. Just him."

Ben glanced back at Luke. "Don't worry. I'll tell her what _really_ happened."

Luke nodded. His friend left, and Luke began to pace, trying to make sense of his circular thoughts. As soon as he began to feel guilty about what he'd done, he remembered Tyloid's treatment of Armith, and felt nothing but anger. But then he remembered his expression of fear, and the vague feeling of guilt returned.

But Tyloid had attacked him, and hurt Armith. Wasn't it right that he defend himself? It wasn't like he had _killed_ him.

_You could have_ , an annoying voice reminded him, _you wouldn't have stopped. Ben knew it. That's why he threw the water at you._

"I would have stopped," Luke said, annoyed. "I'm not a murderer!"

_Would you?_

"Arg!" Luke rubbed his head, wondering if he was going crazy. Everything that had happened over the past few months began flooding his mind. The hydrospanner, Captain Yahza, the Emperor, the shattering glass, the dreams. His father's accusations ...

His father. Luke stared at the ceiling, wishing more than anything that he was here right now. If nothing else, at least he'd be able to explain how he had managed to do this.

But he wasn't here. He was far away and angry with him, and it was all the Emperor's fault. Luke paused for a moment, savouring the thought. Everything was the Emperor's fault. If he hadn't forced him to meet Tyloid, he'd never have come to this school and met Armith. If he hadn't given him that lesson in Force visions, he'd never have started having these dreams. And he'd never have learned how to focus his anger and ...

"Miss Silva is ready for you now."

Luke stared at B-60 in surprise. It just seemed like a few minutes ago that Ben had left. He walked out into the foyer, and saw Ben was waiting in the corridor beyond the principal's office. It seemed they didn't have much to discuss.

B-60 walked ahead of him into the office. Miss Silva wasn't sitting behind her desk. Instead, she was pacing in front of it.

"Luke Skywalker," B-60 said. "Is that it?"

"Yes, thank you, B-60," she said. "You can go."

Luke hovered by the door as B-60 left, not feeling like sitting. Miss Silva obviously felt the same way.

"Well, Luke," she said, "It seems everyone agrees you were severely provoked and this was all the Quasher senator's fault ... except for the Quasher senator."

She sounded nervous. Luke had never heard her sound nervous before. Before she was a principal, Miss Silva was a navy officer, and used to instruct at the navy academy on Coruscant. It showed. In a moment, the nervous tone was gone.

"But I'm sure you can understand that we can't pretend nothing has happened. Students are going to tell their parents, and parents are going to worry about student safety, and the school board will have to answer for it."

"It won't happen again," Luke said, quietly. He couldn't lift his gaze from the carpet.

"I hope not. But regardless ... I know there are only a few weeks of the school year remaining, and class time is important right now, but I will have to ask you to refrain from attending school for a few days. At least until we can discuss this with your father."

"He's not on Coruscant," Luke said, surprised.

"Then we will contact him by comlink. In the meantime, I will make sure you are sent any work you require."

Luke thought about protesting, but considering what he'd done, he really had little to complain about. Maybe he needed a few days off. He could go and visit the Speedsters.

"I'll go home now, then," Luke said.

"Thank you, Luke. Get some rest. You look tired. And you should probably put some bacta on that bruise on your jaw."

Luke reached up to feel it as he left the office. He'd forgotten Tyloid had hit him.

Ben met him in the corridor, looking concerned.

"What happened?"

"I have to go home," Luke explained. "I can come back after they've discussed this with my father."

"What do you think he's going to say?" Ben asked, walking beside Luke.

Luke had been wondering that himself.

"It's not like he can tell you off for losing your temper and choking someone," Ben said, grinning.

"Hypocrisy has never stopped him before."

"I never knew you could choke people like he can," Ben said, glancing sideways at Luke. "It was pretty scary."

"I didn't know myself," Luke said, distantly.

"Speaking of your father," Ben said, suddenly reaching into his tunic, "your comlink fell out of your pocket during the fight. I was listening to the messages while I was waiting."

"What?!"

"I thought there'd just be me on there," Ben said. "I wanted to see what I looked like in hologram form. But there was one from your father as well."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. But I think he was telling you he was sorry for what he said to you yesterday."

"Really?" Luke said, snatching the comlink away from Ben. He was about to switch it on, when a female voice interrupted them.

"Luke?"

They both turned around to find Armith was standing in the locker hall.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"Uh ..." Luke stared at her, wondering why his mind had gone blank. "Um ... you're welcome, I guess."

"I hope you didn't get in too much trouble ... I told everyone that Tyloid deserved it."

"I won't be at school for a few days," Luke said, "but it's okay."

"I'll miss you," she said, moving closer. "You're the sweetest guy I've ever known."

Ben made a noise like he was the one choking now. Luke could only stare blankly.

"Listen," Armith continued, "the senior graduation ball is coming up soon, right after exams. If you haven't got a date yet, I'm free."

Luke's mouth fell open. He quickly closed it. He'd never been asked out on a date before, and something told him that staring blankly wasn't the appropriate response. "Sure! I mean, I'd love to come with you!"

Armith smiled and waved goodbye as she left the locker hall. There was silence for a few seconds, and then Ben began to snicker.

"Wow. I think she's got a crush on you."

Luke turned red. "No, she doesn't." He went over to his locker, and started loading all his datapads into a bag. He'd need all these if he was going to be studying at home for a few days.

"Who would have thought choking someone's ex was a good way to get a girl to like you?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "She doesn't like me."

"She just asked you out!"

"It's the graduation ball. You're supposed to have a date. It doesn't mean she _likes_ me."

"She likes you. Trust me."

"I'm going home," Luke said, closing his locker. "Listen, want to go visit the Speedster's tonight?"

"Good idea. Maybe you could invite Armith as well."

"No, maybe I'll invite Ophelia," Luke said, raising an eyebrow. "I'll tell her it was your idea."

"Okay, okay," Ben said. "I better get back to what's left of my biology class. See you later tonight."

Luke grinned. "Okay, buddy."

Ben started to leave, but Luke suddenly spoke again. "And ... uh ... thanks. For always having my back."

"No problem."

Luke smiled to himself, and then set off towards the landing pad. It was all too easy to focus on everything bad that had happened recently, but he still had so many good things in his life. Friendship was invaluable. Another reason why his first so-called future vision was entirely bogus. The idea of being more interested in power than in friends ... ridiculous.

_Even if it made you feel like you felt before?_

Luke pushed the thought away. He should get home and take the afternoon off. Maybe he could convince Threepio to play a few rounds of beep ball. Or he could go down to the guard training gym and work up a sweat.

On the landing pad, the fresh air and sunshine did away with the last of his cold feeling. He started thinking about the way Armith's eyes lit up when she told him he was the sweetest guy she knew. If he was going to be her date for the graduation ball, he should pick her up in the MX speeder. Or maybe she'd prefer the _Bloodfin_ ...

Luke tossed his bag of databooks into his speeder's backseat, while considering the question. It wasn't until he was about to enter the pilot's seat that he realized he was still holding his comlink. Of course, he'd been about to listen to his father's message when Armith interrupted him.

He pressed the button, and then skipped over Ben's short message. He already knew what that one said. When his father appeared, he thumbed up the volume.

" _Luke, how many times have I told you not to switch your comlink off? Especially when I am away from Coruscant. Never do so again!_ "

"Yeah, yeah," Luke said, rolling his eyes. This from someone who's comlink regularly gave an 'out of range' signal.

" _I want you to be careful while I am not there. Be on your guard. Pay attention to your instincts, and listen to your feelings._ "

"You worry too much," Luke said.

The sound of boots on metal drowned out his father's next words. Luke glanced up, and found himself staring at two stormtroopers.

"Uh ..." Luke lowered his comlink, and looked around, wondering if there was a dangerous Rebel behind him. "Can I help you?"

"Come with us," the one on the right said.

"Why? What do you want?"

They didn't reply. Instead, the one on the left stepped forward and grabbed him by the upper arm. Luke tried to pull away, but then he caught sight of Sate Pestage, one of the Emperor's aides. He stood beside the open door of a speeder marked with the royal crest.

The stormtroopers pushed him forward.

"The Emperor has requested your immediate presence, young Mr Skywalker," Sate Pestage said, stepping back from the speeder to allow Luke to get in.

"Why stormtroopers?" Luke said, annoyed. "For star's sake, I'm not a Rebel!"

"For your protection, of course," Sate Pestage replied. He gestured to the troopers. "Put him in the back."

Luke began to feel increasingly frightened as the speeder rose into the air. Did the Emperor think he wouldn't come? Is that why he sent stormtroopers? Was he angry over the treatment of Tyloid?

"What's this about?" Luke said, as they slowed to pass through the security perimeter.

"That is between you and the Emperor."

Luke turned his head from side to side, looking at the two bulky stormtroopers who sat on either side of him. Making a break for it in the hangar bay was feeling like a good idea, but he had an odd feeling he wasn't going anywhere but to see the Emperor.

Once they set down in the palace, two royal guards joined them. The stormtroopers walked behind him, and the guards and Sate Pestage in front. He felt like a dangerous prisoner, requiring five guards to subdue him.

They walked out of the hangar bay into a large office area where the Emperor's aides were based. The Grand Vizier was there, standing in front of a large, wall-sized screen. He glanced at Luke briefly, and then looked away. His expression was grim.

Behind him, the screen was filled with images of flaming buildings and bombed out streets. Luke didn't need to ask to know it was Quasher. Sate Pestage paused, taking it in.

"The capital has been taken?"

"Soon. Lord Vader is on his way down."

Luke looked away in disgust.

The guards gestured for him to keep walking, but Mas Amedda suddenly raised a hand. "Wait."

He turned and met Luke's gaze.

"Do what he asks, young man. For all our sakes, put that Skywalker arrogance aside and learn your place."

Luke glanced past his shoulder, and then nodded towards the screen. "So much for your diplomatic solution."

He walked on, not waiting for a response.

When they reached the base of the main tower, the stormtroopers remained at the bottom of the elevator, but the royal guards and Sate Pestage accompanied him on the journey up. The Emperor sat in his usual place, silhouetted against the vast viewing windows that overlooked Imperial city. Sate Pestage stepped out first. The royal guards followed, with Luke between them. They walked silently past the artwork that lined the antechamber, boot steps echoing into every shadowy corner.

The Emperor turned and watched their approach until they stood in front of him. Luke didn't look up.

Sate Pestage bowed to his master, and then spoke. "My Emperor, I have brought the boy as you requested."

"Well done. Now leave us. Young Skywalker and I will speak in privacy."

He smiled at Luke, but Luke still couldn't bring himself to meet his gaze. He already felt sick as it was. The cold and empty feeling had returned to the pit of his stomach, even stronger than it had been in the cafeteria. He had a feeling he knew who was causing it.

The sound of the elevator door closing indicated they were now alone. Luke wished the Emperor would hurry up and say something.

But he kept him waiting for a good minute, simply studying him in silence.

"I am very proud of you, young Skywalker," he said, finally. "You are everything your father promised you would be."

Luke blinked in surprise. He had been utterly convinced he was in trouble.

"Uh ... thank you, your highness."

The Emperor stood up, and began to walk towards him.

"With the barest of knowledge, you have accomplished things it would have taken an average Force user years to master. You can touch the Force as easily as breathing the air. You defended yourself admirably against the pilot in a far superior craft, relying on nothing but instinct. And now, you have shown yourself capable of embracing the true power of the Force."

He paused for a moment, while Luke struggled to understand what he meant. How did the Emperor know about the attack on the _Dunesea_? He had only told him about the crash, not the attack.

"My boy, do you have any idea how powerful you will become? Do you recall how you felt, just a short time ago when you unleashed a small fraction of your potential?"

"How ... how do you know about that?" Luke said, trying to push away the knowledge that he did indeed remember exactly what it felt like.

"You want to feel that way again ... don't you?"

"Are you spying on me?" Luke said, nervously.

"I can show you power you've never even dreamed of," the Emperor continued. "What you felt before was only a small taste of the grand adventure that awaits you."

Luke was silent. Despite himself, he was interested to know more. He wanted to know how to control that power he felt within himself.

"You may recall a few weeks ago, when I asked you not to tell your father of our conversations," the Emperor said. "I suspect you have been wondering why."

Actually, that had never crossed Luke's mind. Judging by the way his father had reacted when he found out, Luke wasn't surprised the Emperor hadn't volunteered the information.

"You know your father has wanted to train you since the moment he learned of your Force potential?"

Luke nodded, slowly. It wasn't something they had discussed at any great length, but it was more than clear.

"I promised him I would assess you, now that you have nearly come of age, to see if you were worthy of the honor. But I did not wish to raise his hopes before the time was right."

This didn't quite add up with his father's reaction last night, but Luke didn't interrupt.

"And now, we will have a surprise for your father when he returns. The time has come for you to become what your father always wanted, young Skywalker. The time has come for you to become a Sith apprentice."

Luke rubbed his hands against his pants. They felt cold and clammy. "A Sith? But ... I don't know if ..."

"Don't deny your feelings," the Emperor said, sounding almost gentle. "Embrace your true potential. It is your destiny."

"What do I have to do?" Luke said, feeling an odd tingling down his spine.

"Pledge yourself to me ... pledge your obedience, your devotion ... your desire to know the ways of the Sith. Through me, you will experience power unlike anything you can possibly imagine."

The memory of his experience with Tyloid came rushing back. He could feel that way again ... he wanted to feel that way again. Somewhere, there was a part of him that had been dying to express itself, and he'd been steadily denying it. No longer. He could change the galaxy! Luke stared at the floor in front of the Emperor, feeling an almost overwhelming desire to kneel down and let the Force surge through him once again.

But even as he started to move forward, his head was filled with a babble of words.

" _I do not believe I know you anymore_."

" _You have clearly chosen sides in this, Luke_."

" _Pay attention to your instincts, and listen to your feelings._ "

His feelings ... overwhelming confusion. And his instincts ... had been fighting since he first saw those stormtroopers. His mind was telling him he was about to make a life-changing decision on very little sleep and a dubious experience that had nearly resulted in murder.

"No!" Luke said, backing away. A rush of fear filled his mind as he remembered the dreams. A future where he killed without remorse ... a future where his father didn't know him anymore ... a future where he was the Emperor's apprentice! Those dreams weren't the future ... they were warnings to prevent him from making this very decision!

"No?" the Emperor repeated. There was a slight edge in his voice now. He wasn't so friendly.

Luke had a funny suspicion he hadn't been expecting this.

"I don't want to be your apprentice, your highness," Luke said. His voice sounded strained. He took a few deep breaths, and then repeated his decision, before he started regretting it. "I've learned the lesson you were trying to teach me about Quasher. You've shown me how you run the galaxy, and I want no part of it. If you don't mind, I'll leave now."

"Why you insolent fool!" The Emperor raised a hand, and Luke was lifted a meter into the air. "Do you have any idea what you just rejected?"

_He's going to kill me_ , Luke realized. His heart was beating in his ears.

"I don't want to rule through terror and murder!" Luke said, hearing his voice shake. "I don't want to be like _you!_ "

"You dare to resist me, you pitiful child!?"

He was shaken violently, and Luke saw stars.

"You have not learned a lesson from Quasher at all. Understand this, young Skywalker. You serve me, or you will be destroyed."

Luke reached desperately for the Force, but his efforts were easily squashed.

"Ah, and now you try and call on the Force. Such blasphemy. You expect it to answer you when you denied it?"

"You're not the Force!" Luke protested. He refused to believe the universe was held together by this vile sack of evil. "You're nothing but a wrinkled old corpse!"

"Let me educate you to the contrary, young Skywalker. Let me give you a taste of what could have been yours."

The Emperor raised his other hand. Luke was blinded by a sudden flash of blue and white light. Then he felt pain beyond anything he had ever experienced. He screamed in agony, writhing involuntarily as he slammed hard against the ground.

Burning tendrils of electricity arced over his body, and smoke began to rise from his school uniform. He gasped, feeling the pain rise and subside.

When his vision began to clear, he found the Emperor was standing over him.

"You know what is wrong with you, young Skywalker?"

Luke stared up at the putrid yellow eyes. His head hurt so much, he could see four of them.

"Your father never taught you discipline."

He raised his hands again. Even before the electricity surged into his body, Luke was screaming into the Force.

_Father! FATHER!_

* * *

Vader steadied himself against the bulkhead, barely able to withstand the violent surges in the Force. It tore at every remaining living cell in his body, begging him to put an end to whatever was causing this.

"Lord Vader?"

The bureaucrat in charge of the datawork behind this annexation was standing between him and the cockpit, his expression filled with both fear and concern. Vader reached out a hand, shoving him aside.

The pilots were concentrating on the landing. The Quasher government citadel filled the shuttle cockpit window, relatively undamaged in comparison to the chaos around it. Their escort TIE fighters hovered in front as they approached the landing pad.

"Coming into land now," the co-pilot said into her headset. She had an open channel with the _Devastator_.

"Move," Vader said. The pilot merely turned and gaped at him. He was fortunate he didn't have time to kill him.

A second later, he had removed the man from the shuttle's controls, and had the ship turned around and accelerating full speed back towards the Devastator. Only then did he feel able to test his bond with Luke, almost dreading what he would receive in return. As expected, the barest touch sent him reeling in pain, once again.

"Has our mission changed?" the co-pilot asked, looking at him in surprise.

"Tell the _Devastator_ to prepare the fastest ship to leave immediately. I must return to Coruscant."

As she rushed to obey his orders, he could only curse himself for his stupidity.

* * *

When the pain finally stopped, Luke knew he must be dead. For some reason, all he could think about was his father. He'd always said he'd be lucky to reach his twentieth birthday. Now he had proved him right.

But soon the pain returned, and he was groaning in protest again. But this wasn't the raw agony of the lightning. Someone was picking him up, causing aching bones to flare up in protest.

From far away, he heard the Emperor's voice.

"Get him out of my sight!"

After being carried for what felt like a kilometer, in which every jolt made him wince, he was placed on the floor again. A loud humming pounded through his head. He couldn't see anything but blinding white lights. Soon, a fuzzy red blob came into view.

"Luke? Stay with us, Luke. Hold on."

Luke tried to say he couldn't, that all he wanted to do was sleep, but the words came out as moans. When he was lifted again, his head fell back and he knew nothing more.

* * *

The best they could do for him was a heavily modified blockade-runner, confiscated from the Rebels during a battle. It could get him to Coruscant in two hours.

That was two hours too long for Vader's liking, but it couldn't be helped. For all his power, the laws of time and space would not change for him, even when his son was in danger.

Why had he ever left Coruscant in the first place? He should have known something like this would happen! Why would Captain Jarnet have bothered to risk his life informing him of the meetings unless he knew Luke was at great risk?

While calculating the jump, he tested the link again. It was clouded and indistinct, which meant Luke was either unconscious or sleeping. His mind filled with a vision of his son lying unconscious and injured, perhaps bleeding to death ... perhaps with only minutes to live!

He slammed his hands against the controls, mentally willing the ship to go faster.

After he'd calmed down a small degree, he activated the comlink, and started to enter the Emperor's frequency.

But then he paused, and a clear thought entered his mind. If the Emperor wasn't responsible, did he really want to tell him that Luke was in mortal danger? And if he was responsible, then contacting him would not help Luke's situation. He might order him to remain here.

He deleted the partly entered frequency, and changed it to the palace assistants office. The ensign who answered looked half asleep, but she quickly woke up when she saw who the caller was.

"Sir!"

"Where is Luke?" Vader asked, immediately.

The woman hesitated for a moment, looking puzzled. "I haven't been informed of any deviation from his normal daily routine, sir."

"I can sense he is unconscious," Vader said, hearing an unbecoming panic in his voice.

"I will investigate immediately, sir."

"Contact me the second you have any information."

He cut the call, and leaned back to wait. More horrible images of possible situations Luke could be in assailed his mind, and he began to shake with anger. Life was so unrelentingly cruel. To grant him a son, and then to rip him away ...

When the comlink began to beep, Vader rushed to activate the device. It lit up with an image of Lieutenant Dorany, the palace assistant who was friendly with Luke.

"Sir, I just arrived at the medical center. A droid informed me that Luke is undergoing treatment."

"What happened to him?!" Vader demanded. The lieutenant's words had brought a small amount of relief, however. The images of a dying Luke, lying alone in some Coruscant lower level alleyway, had faded from his mind.

The lieutenant hesitated, an action that nearly caused Vader to smash the comlink in frustration.

"Tell me!"

"Sir, all I know is that Captain Jarnet brought him here," the lieutenant said. "He cannot tell me anything else."

The meaning was clear to Vader. As he suspected, the Emperor was responsible.

"What kind of injuries has he sustained?" Vader asked.

"I am still waiting to hear, sir. But the medical droid told me he was in one piece."

Another small relief. He couldn't stand for Luke to lose another limb.

"Sir, Ben is here beside me. I've just been speaking with him about something that happened earlier today. Apparently Luke was in a fight with the young Quasher senator, and the principal sent him home. That was the last he saw of him."

There was a faint voice from outside the projector field, and the lieutenant looked away. Then he spoke again.

"Ben just said that Luke choked the senator. Excuse me, sir." The lieutenant looked away, and spoke to someone off-field. "You mean choked him physically, or using the Force?"

Vader clearly heard Ben's reply. "The Force."

"Let me speak to him," Vader said, impatiently.

"Of course ... uh ... he's backing away, sir."

"Don't tell him that!" came a young voice in the distance.

"May I take a moment to speak with him, sir?"

"Very well," Vader said, trying not to lose his temper. He supposed he only had himself to blame for this. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to foster a healthy relationship with Ben.

The Imperial logo appeared in the projector field, indicating he was on hold. After a minute, Ben appeared, looking as nervous as usual. Vader wondered exactly what he thought he could do to him when he was only a hand-sized hologram, but apparently it was something terrible, judging by the boy's expression.

"Ben, I need to know exactly what happened," Vader said. "From the beginning. Was Luke all right when he came to school?"

"Well ... h-he was late, Sir," Ben said. He swallowed, and then continued. "He mentioned you'd argued the night before. He looked like he hadn't slept much, sir."

"And then?"

"At lunch, Tyloid showed up, and he and Luke started fighting ... he hit Luke, and Luke choked him without even touching him. The principal said he had to go home until they'd discussed it with you. Luke went off to the landing pad ... that's the last I saw of him. Then my Dad called and said he'd been seriously injured, so I left school and rushed over here, and then I bumped into Lev, but they can't tell us anything yet and … wait, Luke's doctor is coming out! I'll pass you on to him!"

There was a brief pause, and the comlink was placed on mute. Vader imagined someone was telling the doctor to be careful, as he was in a bad mood. The doctor would understand—he was a father too, something Vader appreciated in moments like this. He knew how devastating it would be to lose a child.

The doctor's face appeared, and the comlink was taken off mute.

"Hello, sir. Luke is out of danger."

More relief. "What happened to him?"

"I cannot say for certain. It is the strangest thing. He has internal and surface damage as if he's been electrocuted, but it is unlike any electrical burn I have ever seen."

"Force lightning," Vader said, angrily. That explained the pain he'd experienced.

"I have been treating the surface burns with bacta. Luke regained consciousness briefly, but I have sedated him to ensure he gets the rest he needs. I am more than open to further suggestions."

"You are doing exactly as you should," Vader said. "I will be there as soon as possible."

"I will not leave Luke unsupervised until you arrive," the doctor said. "And I will inform you of any change in his condition."

Vader couldn't bring himself to say how much this meant to him.

"Thank you, doctor," he said, finally.

* * *

In the midst of an indistinct, colorful dream, Luke became aware of voices in the distance. They were talking in hushed, serious tones, hinting they had something interesting to say.

"—it's not my place to wonder."

"Well it's not mine, either, but I'm wondering, all the same. If anyone else had hurt Luke, he would be a walking dead man. I can't see how their relationship could possibly survive this."

"I don't believe it's that simple. But understanding his loyalty to the Emperor is not something in which I invest my time."

Luke stirred slightly. He recognized that voice. Lev ... what was he doing here? For that matter, where was here?

"I may not understand the politics, but I understand how he feels about his son."

"Well, I can't say it would surprise me, if young Luke managed to single-handedly bring down an Empire." Out of half-closed eyes, Luke saw Lev come and stand in the doorway. "Sometimes I get this funny feeling he's going to change the galaxy."

"I know exactly what you mean."

Luke tried to sit up and talk, but he was too weak. Memories were stirring in his mind, now. The Emperor ...

His indistinct moan caused both men to come running. His doctor adjusted a tube that ran out from under his bedclothes and spoke gently.

"Go on back to sleep, Luke. You need to rest."

Luke made a noise of protest. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to get as far away from here as possible.

The doctor was speaking to Lev again, but he sounded far away.

"He'll drift off again in a few minutes. I'll keep an eye on him, if you need to leave."

"No, I'm staying right here until Lord Vader arrives," Lev said.

"Father?" Luke mumbled.

There was no reply. Only the sound of a chair being pulled up. Luke tried to roll over, so he could see Lev properly, but sudden pain in his arm caused him to give up on that idea.

"Tell him ... sorry," Luke said, hearing his words slur. "My ... fault."

"Shhh," Lev said. "It's okay. Your father will be here very soon."

Luke gave into the overwhelming urge to sleep, and fell back into indistinct dreams. There were more distant voices and odd beeping sounds. He was running away in his dreams, running back to Tatooine. All his old friends were still there. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were still there, welcoming him with open arms.

And his father was there. Luke smiled at him, enjoying the sense of familiarity. The presence grew stronger, growing bigger than his aunt and uncle ... bigger than Tatooine.

He could hear the breathing, and hear the voice. The doctor was speaking with him.

"The painkillers will not wear off for another hour. If he wakes in the night, he may require another dose. I will be here to monitor him."

"Has he woken since I spoke with you?"

"He stirred about an hour ago. Went right back to sleep, though."

"I will stay with him."

"Of course, sir. I will be in my office if you require anything."

Luke felt his father's presence move closer. He wanted to open his eyes, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to let on that he was awake. The thought of a 'your reckless behavior almost got you killed!' speech was almost too much to bear.

He felt his father adjust his blankets, and then he placed a hand on his chest. A second gloved hand brushed his fringe away from his face, and Luke felt leather-clad fingers resting lightly on his forehead. Deep within, a calming sensation began to spread, filling his torso, and then creeping into his limbs. The dull ache in his bones began to recede. The refreshing wave of energy began to rise into his skin, bathing the painful burns away.

_The Force_ , Luke realized. Once again, it was flowing through him. But this time, there was no pain and violence. The exact opposite—it was _healing_ him. He could have stayed like this forever, basking in the wonder of it. But soon the touch was broken, and the energy flow faded. But where the incident with Tyloid had left him cold and empty, now he felt whole and content.

"You are supposed to be asleep."

Luke opened his eyes, and found himself staring into his father's reflective gaze. Even through the mask, he could tell he was worried ... and angry.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, shutting his eyes again.

"No apologies are necessary, young one. I am the one who should be sorry. I should never have left you."

"I should have told you ... I need to tell you ..."

"No, you need to sleep."

His father's hand still rested on his chest, and Luke felt the Force link between them begin to heighten, once again. But he recognized the attempt to ease him into sleep, and he fought it.

"No," Luke said, struggling to sit up. "No, I need ... I need to tell you!"

"Calm down, Son. I am listening."

"He told me about the Force," Luke explained. The drowsiness was beginning to wear off, and the more he spoke, the more memories returned. "He showed me how to use my anger. I know I should have told you, but I was so ... confused. He said it was supposed to be a surprise for you."

"He taught you how to choke someone?"

Luke shook his head, feeling suddenly ashamed at the memory. "I ... that was an accident. How did you know about ...?"

"The hydrospanner was an accident, young one. A Force choke requires sustained concentration."

"The hydrospanner wasn't a fluke," Luke said, looking down at the bed cover. If he was going to be honest, he might as well start from the beginning.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was younger, I used to practice. On small things. I just wanted to see if I really could do it. Now I can do it whenever I want ..." Luke stretched out towards a nearby medical scanner, demonstrating.

His father watched in clear surprise as the scanner jumped off the table, and came to rest in Luke's outstretched palm.

"I know, I shouldn't ..." Luke started.

"And the Emperor discovered you could do this?"

"Yes. He said my mind was already opened to the Force and I had to be trained to control it. He asked me to become his apprentice." Luke faltered, remembering all too well what had happened next. He sunk back down on the pillows.

"What happened then, Son?" his father said, almost gently.

"I ... I said no. Then he became angry ... he'd never spoken to me like that before."

"He electrocuted you?"

"Not straight away. That was after I called him a wrinkled old corpse. I know, I know ... big mistake."

Luke cringed, waiting for a reprimand. It never came.

"This isn't your fault, my son. Don't concern yourself with what happened."

"I was so angry with you for choking that officer," Luke said, his voice breaking. "It was because I knew. Everyone thinks I'm a good person, but I knew … deep down, I was capable of doing the same thing, and I hated it. I don't want … Father, I want to get away from him." He paused to cough. "I need to or I'm going to … things will get worse. He's so evil, it makes me sick. Is this what he did to you?"

"He will never hurt you again, young one," his father said, placing his other hand on his shoulder. "I promise you. Now, you need to rest."

"But I don't want ..."

Even as he said the words, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. The last thing he saw was the stark outline of his father's helmet, glowing around the edges from the dimmed ceiling lights.

* * *

Vader wasn't used to sitting still for any length of time. He was used to action. Sleeping had always been one of his most disliked activities. But now that he was here with Luke ... he didn't want to be anywhere but by his side.

His son slept peacefully, rising up and down gently beneath the blanket. The monitors beside him flickered now and then, but indicated there was nothing out of the ordinary. Every so often, a medical droid would enter the room and study the readouts, but they never stayed longer than a minute.

Several times, he nearly drifted off himself, but disturbing thoughts would always rouse him. Thoughts of an alternate reality where he might have been making funeral arrangements right now. The idea filled him with anger that threatened to overwhelm the entire room. But one look at Luke's peaceful, sleeping face and he forced himself to calm down.

His revenge would have to wait. But when the time came, it would be a great revenge, and the galaxy would never be the same again. He and Luke would lead the galaxy into a new era of peace and order.

The doors hissed open behind him, but Vader didn't bother to turn. He could sense it was only a droid.

"Lord Vader."

He looked up, and saw it was not a medical droid, but L-160, the receptionist.

"A royal aide is in the lobby. He said the Emperor requests your presence."

A list of possible replies passed through Vader's mind. Everything from 'the Emperor can wait for my convenience' to 'I will speak with the Emperor when my son is healthy'. But if his plan to defeat his master was to succeed, he could not allow himself to give into such emotional responses.

"Ask him to tell the Emperor that I will be there momentarily."

"Yes, sir."

"And I want a medical droid to stay in this room every second I am not here," Vader said, standing up.

"Of course, sir."

The droid left, and Vader moved closer to Luke, studying his son's face. Perhaps he should leave him a note. It might distress his son, if he should wake up and find him gone. But Luke appeared in a deep sleep, and he intended to make this meeting as brief as possible.

"I will be back soon, Son," he said, quietly.

* * *

Vader had been prepared for anger, or accusations. He'd even been prepared for a complete denial that the incident had even taken place. The idea that his master could simply pretend this attack on his son was nothing to be particularly upset about, had never even crossed his mind.

"Lord Vader," he said, as Vader entered the sculpture hall. The Emperor was studying a vast work of tapestry art covering one wall.

Vader came to a halt a short distance away.

"Master."

"You have abandoned your mission."

Vader was silent, struggling to maintain control. Finally, he felt focused enough to speak.

"My son is _my_ responsibility. If the boy had erred, then _I_ should suffer any consequences. Not him." He was unable to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Calm down, my friend. He was never in any mortal danger. I assure you of that."

The Emperor began to walk, gesturing for Vader to join him.

"As I'm sure you have heard by now, I have been assessing the boy, to determine if he would make a worthy Sith apprentice. He certainly has the raw potential, and the mental capacity. But two things stand in his way. One, is his deplorable lack of any concentration. He's too busy daydreaming to focus on anything for any length of time."

Vader couldn't argue with that point.

"Secondly—and this is the most fatal—he lacks discipline. He bristles under authority, and becomes stubborn and disrespectful when faced with correction. If you could see past your anger, you would recognize I have done you a great favor. I am sure you will find the boy far more docile and obedient from now on."

Vader could hardly bring himself to comprehend what the Emperor meant. _A favor?_

"He is still a boy. A teenager. I was the same at his age."

"Believe me, he is far worse."

The Emperor turned to study a sculpture that resembled a rancor.

"It continues to amaze me, Lord Vader, that you manage to keep the entire Imperial military trembling in fear, yet have failed to instil similar discipline in one adolescent boy. He could never display the total obedience needed to succeed as a Sith apprentice. I suspect he has been doted on and spoiled."

"He simply lacks maturity."

"And how do you propose to correct this problem?" The Emperor glanced at him, pointedly. "Holding his hand as he recovers from injuries he brought on himself?"

Vader refused to let his anger rise. "With time and training, he will overcome these obstacles."

"Training? By whom? He has made his opposition to becoming my apprentice quite clear, Lord Vader. Unless you are suggesting you have some influence that I do not, I think your proposal has reached a dead end. One cannot force a person to embrace the Dark Side."

"I am his father," Vader said. "He will willingly do so if I am the one who asks." Vader paused for a moment, and then added, "I can teach him to be loyal to you. He will readily accept you as his master after he has made his journey to the Dark Side."

This seemed to satisfy the Emperor. "If you could accomplish this, I would be willing to give him another chance, if only for his great potential. How long do you suggest this will take?"

"A few weeks if I devote my complete attention to it," Vader said. "I can take him to Mustafar, after he has finished his studies."

"Very well, you may take time away to accomplish this. But heed this warning, Lord Vader. Your son, as he is at this moment, is not capable of doing any damage, as far as his fledgling Force awareness is concerned. He could serve the Empire in a leadership capacity for the rest of his life, without ever needing to be trained. However, if you choose to do this, if you choose to train him, and he fails ... and I believe this is a real possibility ... he will be far too dangerous to be left alive. A remnant Jedi may find him, and he could be used as a powerful weapon against us. You would have to kill him. If you agree that you take this risk with full knowledge—and that if it should come to that, you will not hesitate to do what must be done—then you have my blessing."

"He will not fail you, Master. But I do take this risk in full knowledge, and will face any consequences that may result. But when he is trained, he will be the greatest asset the Empire possesses—his potential to bring about galactic prosperity will far eclipse that of the Death Star."

"Ah yes, our special project ... young Skywalker's brother, in some sense. You will have to forgive my lack of whole-hearted enthusiasm, but I believe I have more confidence in the Death Star. I have never had the occasion to complain about its lack of obedience."

Vader clenched his fingers into fists, finding that remark more irritating than anything else his master had said. It was always this way with the Emperor. He wanted all his subjects to be machines. Lifeless tools he used to accomplish his goals. Luke would show him what raw power, combined with an independent spirit, could accomplish.

"But I would not be disappointed if you proved me wrong, my friend."

"My son will be the one who surprises you, Master," Vader said, turning to leave.

He hesitated then, and looked back.

"When Anakin Skywalker lived on Tatooine, there was a Hutt who used to regularly beat his slaves. A Weequay mother became so enraged on seeing her child beaten, she attempted to escape that night. The Hutt activated their transmitters and they were both destroyed in the resulting explosion."

"A suitable warning to the other slaves, I'm sure."

"The Hutt had no other slaves. And after he destroyed the mother and her child, he had no slaves at all, which proved a costly mistake. On such a ruthless world, there is no survival when one is alone."

Vader felt the shift in his master's presence in the Force. He understood.

It was time to return to his son.

* * *


	10. An Unexpected Problem

Rest came easier to Vader after the conversation with the Emperor. Luke was safe for the time being, and he could keep him away from his master without arousing suspicion. Soon, very soon, he could teach him the means to defend himself against any future attacks.

In the morning, the doctor and a medical droid arrived to examine Luke and replace his bandages. Vader left his son in their capable hands and returned to the palace, to see to his own medical requirements. Despite the Emperor's desire to be the master of a galaxy of machines, he was very much still a lifeform with biological needs.

When he returned to the medical center in the afternoon, he found Ben was there, playing cards with a much healthier looking Luke. His arrival had an immediate effect on the peaceful scene. Ben jumped out of the chair and backed up against the bed, looking like a cornered animal.

Vader stared at him for a moment, and then glanced at Luke. His son gestured towards Ben with an upturned hand and raised an eyebrow, expectantly.

"Hello, Ben," Vader said, doing his best to sound neutral.

Ben made an unintelligible noise that could have been anything. He then cleared his throat, and spoke again. "H-hello, sir. Uh ..." he glanced back. "Bye, Luke."

"You don't have to leave," Luke said. "Wait! You forgot your cards—"

But Ben had already vanished. Vader closed the door behind him.

"Are you feeling better?" he enquired, moving closer to inspect Luke for himself.

"I have more energy," Luke said, packing up the cards. "But there's one burn on the underside of my arm ... it really stings!"

"You will recover soon," Vader said, removing the cards from the bed. "The doctor said you may be able to leave the medical center today."

"What then?" Luke mumbled, looking down.

"I will not leave you alone on Coruscant, but I still have business to attend to on Quasher. I will take you to Mustafar where you can recover."

"What about school? The principal said I can't come back until they discuss the fight I had with Tyloid."

The Quasher delegation on Coruscant had been arrested early this morning on the charge of treason. Vader had considered adding the crime of striking his son to the charges, but it seemed unnecessary, given the current state of the Quasher government.

"I will take care of it."

Vader moved to place the cards on the bedside table and found a large bouquet of flowers.

"Where did those come from?" he enquired. "I hope they have been cleared of any danger."

"Dad, they're flowers," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Hardly life threatening. Ben brought them in ... they're, uh ... they're from my classmates."

"You could be allergic to them, or they could have been deliberately poisoned," Vader said, pushing the buds apart to make sure there were no hidden surprises in the bottom. The only thing he found was a card with a shiny pink heart on the front. He pulled it out and read the text inside.

_Dear Luke, I hope you get well soon. I'm really missing you. I can't wait for the graduation ball._

Luke tried to snatch it from him, but Vader lifted it out of his reach, and gave it closer inspection.

The words were followed by a row of hearts, including one with Luke's initials in the middle. Vader stared down at his son, who was looking very pink. "Is this one of your existing three girlfriends, or a fourth one?"

Luke groaned. "Can we change the subject, please?"

Vader put the card back among the flowers, deciding it was unfair to tease Luke while he was recovering.

"Very well."

"Have you spoken with the Emperor?"

"Yes."

"Does he want me dead?" Luke asked, bluntly.

"No. Son, he never intended to kill you. You offended him and he sought to teach you a lesson. I blame myself. I should not have left, knowing he was meeting with you."

"It wasn't your fault," Luke said. "It was him. He's a power-mad tyrant who wants everyone in the galaxy to do exactly what he wants when he wants it, or he'll unleash hell on them. But why does he even care whether I become his apprentice or not? He already has a massive military and thousands of loyal soldiers."

"You do not understand your importance, Luke. You have a great potential for power—quite possibly more than the Emperor."

"Are you telling me that I could produce electricity out of my hands?" Luke said, staring at them in surprise.

"With time and training ... you could do anything. The Force has no limits. A Sith Lord is only limited by his receptiveness to it."

"If I could be so powerful," Luke said, "I'd expect the Emperor to not want me trained. You once told me he sees me as a threat."

"He wants you trained, but only if he can be sure of your absolute loyalty," Vader explained.

"So what now? I'd rather die than be his apprentice."

"What if I were the one to teach you?"

Luke met his gaze for a moment and then looked away. "What would I have to learn?"

"How to defend yourself from Force lightning would be a good start."

"If I didn't want to learn how to ... hurt people, would you make me?"

"I believe you have already taught yourself how to do that quite effectively," Vader pointed out.

Luke frowned and glared at his hands.

"I have never been able to _make_ you do anything, Son," Vader added, realizing his comment had not given his proposal the best support.

Luke grinned. "You're right." He glanced back at the flowers then, and said, "I have a better idea."

Vader waited, having a premonition about what it might be.

"You can tell the Emperor I won't be trained and I won't practice anything on my own. Instead, I'll go to the academy next semester and have a normal life."

Luke sounded so convinced that was actually a possibility, Vader didn't have the heart to immediately dismiss the idea. "You have a few weeks to consider it," Vader said, instead. "We will proceed after your graduation."

"Don't remind me," Luke said, flopping back down on the pillow. He rubbed his temples. "I've got to start cramming for my finals. My study routine has been non-existent lately. Too busy dealing with arrogant senators and homicidal galactic rulers."

"I can identify," Vader said. It was a relief to see Luke looking like his old self. But a moment later, any relief Vader felt vanished. Luke's expression had suddenly changed. There was no longer any trace of humor.

"I thought I was going to die."

He sounded on the verge of tears. Vader instantly heightened their mental link, seeking a reason for this abrupt mood-swing. Luke was reaching out, seeking something to hold onto. His son's fingers closed around his cape. The gesture caused a wave of pain and guilt, which Vader quickly tried to contain.

"It is all right, Son. You are safe now. I won't fail you again."

Luke breathed slowly for a few moments, and then said, "I'm not afraid of dying. But I was thinking about you ... and how we spent our last moments together fighting. I was thinking about how I'd never have a chance to say anything to you again."

"I understand," Vader said. The exact same thoughts ran through his mind a thousand times on the journey back to Coruscant.

"We shouldn't argue so much," Luke said, tilting his head to meet his gaze.

"Yes," Vader agreed.

"But we're probably going to anyway."

"If the past is anything to go by."

"So maybe I should just say this," Luke said. "If I die, just remember that no matter what I've said in the past, you're my father and I—"

Vader raised a hand, quickly cutting him off.

"There is no need. You are not going to die—I will not allow it."

"Well sometimes it's outside of anyone's control," Luke said. "A building could fall down on top of me, or I could be piloting a speeder when suddenly the engines die. Let's face it, I could die at any given moment."

"Stop it!" Vader said, annoyed. "You are _not_ going to die, young one!"

"Don't call me that," Luke said, frowning. "And I could so die! I just want to be prepared by saying what I need to say—"

"I don't want to hear anymore about dying," Vader said, pointing at Luke.

"But—"

"I mean it, young one."

"Stop calling me that! Oh, now look! We're fighting again _already_!"

"Then stop arguing."

"I'm not the one who's arguing!"

Someone cleared his throat behind them.

Vader turned around and found the doctor was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm ready to give Luke a final examination now."

"Give us a moment," Vader said.

The doctor gave a small smile, and then retreated into the corridor. Vader turned back to Luke. His son had rolled over slightly, so he was facing the wall. Although Vader couldn't see his face, he could well imagine the expression.

He reached out, placing his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Son." He paused for a moment, until he was certain he was saying the right thing. "If anything should happen to you, I will never hold anything you said in the past against you. On the condition that you agree to do the same for me, should the situation be reversed."

Luke rolled back. A smile had returned to his face.

"Fair enough."

Vader removed his hand, and turned to leave. "Now, cooperate with the doctor. I will be waiting nearby."

Just as he reached up to press the door release, a small voice came from the bed.

"I love you."

Vader froze for a brief moment, staring fixedly at the door controls. As always, when Luke used the l-word, an overwhelming mix of conflicting feelings stirred in his chest. Guilt over Padmé ... anger that he wasn't there when Luke was born. But in contrast, a rush of hope for the future. Maybe everything wasn't lost.

He walked on, deciding to act as if he'd never heard.

* * *

His doctor had left him with a prescription of painkillers and instructions on getting rest and eating well. Fortunately for Luke, his father was still in one of his guilt spirals, and that meant it only took a bit of pressure to convince him to let him pilot on the way to Mustafar, and to allow Threepio and Artoo to collect a care package of junk food from the serving droids at the palace.

Unfortunately, he dozed off while they were in hyperspace and woke to find he had been shifted into the co-pilot's seat and wrapped in a blanket. His father had merely given him a look when he suggested he take over for the landing.

The Sith Lord parental unit had then ensured he was settled in his room, given the droids and Vaneé a long list of things to make sure he didn't do, and then had departed for Quasher, insisting he would be back as soon as possible. Luke decided it was better not to ask exactly what he was planning to do there.

As soon as his energy returned, Luke made a start on reading the study notes his teachers had sent through at regular intervals. Vaneé proved to be an invaluable help at getting him to focus and actually commit some of the material to memory. As he pointed out to Luke, he did have two master's degrees, and knew a thing or two about passing an exam.

One afternoon, they were sitting in the dining room, datapads laid out between them, when Luke had been interrupted by a comlink call from his father. He'd been calling every few hours just to check that nothing was amiss, which was starting to wear thin. When Luke returned to the room, he found Vaneé was making himself some tea. He gestured to the table.

"Someone else appears to have left a message on your comlink while you were speaking with your father."

Luke looked at it nervously. Armith had been leaving regular messages, asking how he was recovering and letting him know she was thinking of him. This was both flattering and anxiety-inducing. He hadn't had much experience with this type of relationship, if that was in fact what Armith intended. He sunk his head to the table and started the message playing.

_Hi, Lukey! Are you actually getting these messages? Just checking, as you haven't responded to the last one yet._

Vaneé smiled as he brought over a glass of blue milk and placed it beside Luke.

"Do you have an admirer?"

"I guess so?" Luke said, switching it off. "I … she hasn't actually said she likes me. In that way. But I guess she wouldn't be calling me if she didn't."

"That's a fair assessment," Vaneé said, sitting down and sipping his tea. "What do you think of her?"

"She's pretty," Luke said. "And she likes my speeder bike. But I don't really know her that well." He looked down. "I'd like to know her better. I've met girls before and thought I'd like to spend time with them, but normally they're scared off by the thought of my father."

"But she isn't?"

"No. At least … she asked me to be her date for our graduation ball."

"Ah. Well, if my wife had never gone ahead and asked me out, I'd have been far too shy to ever do so."

Luke raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're married?"

He took another sip of his tea. "I was. She was a pathologist with a speciality in flesh-eating bacteria, so my interest in Sith lore seemed tame in comparison. Sadly, Gloriani was killed during the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo. We were rounded up into camps and she was trying to assist an older person who had fallen. A battle droid took exception."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, looking down at his milk.

"It was a long time ago now. The galaxy is a much safer place."

_Not for those on Quasher_ , Luke thought. But he didn't want to argue with Vaneé about the Empire. He knew whose side he'd take.

"So when you first began dating, how did you know what to do? Or what to say? How do you know when it's okay to hold someone's hand? Or even kissing? Honestly, it's more complicated than algebra. I know she's had boyfriends before so maybe she expects a guy to be romantic and confident."

"Very few of us are blessed with confidence the first time we attempt such a thing, young Luke. You'll do fine. Just be yourself, treat the young lady with respect, and always ask for permission before escalating any physical contact."

"Wait, I think I need to take notes," Luke said, bringing up a clean page on his datapad.

Vaneé smiled. "Does your father know about this?"

"I hope you're not suggesting I ask him for guidance, because that's not going to happen," Luke said, writing down what Vaneé had said. "He doesn't want me alone with a girl without a chaperone."

"Ha! I can well imagine. He is somewhat protective."

"Over-protective. I don't know what he imagines a girl could do to me."

Vaneé looked troubled then. "Relationships can be somewhat fraught. I suggest proceeding with caution until you are sure of her intentions. You do have a very open and trusting heart." He studied Luke for a moment, and then frowned. "Although, knowing what I do about your lineage, caution does not come naturally." He glanced at the comlink. "Perhaps it would be best to politely decline such attentions until you are older. You are of great importance to the future of the galaxy."

"Don't start that," Luke said, raising his hands. "Can I just be allowed to be seventeen?"

Vaneé merely continued to look troubled, until Luke waved a datapad in front of his face.

"Let's get back to algebra. We have at least another two hours before my father calls."

Two hours was a good guess, but it wasn't a comlink call that interrupted the study session, but the perimeter alarms going off to indicate an arriving ship. Vaneé became anxious at the sound, but Luke could sense it was his father without having to look at the monitoring screens. Despite the annoyance of the frequent calls, it was a relief to have him back, and Luke made the trip down to the hangar to greet him, with Artoo hot on his tail.

"Finished invading Quasher?" Luke asked, as his father came down the ship's ramp.

"There is now a permanent garrison established and an interim overseer appointed. Have you been following your doctor's instructions?"

"Let's see … since I last spoke to you two hours ago … I've taken your TIE fighter out for a spin, gone for a hike up one of the volcanoes, and borrowed Vaneé's blaster to go hunting down by the lava river banks. There's a real lack of womp rats here, do you know that?"

"You had me up until the suggestion that Vaneé would lend you a blaster," his father said, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

Luke grinned, following his father out of the hangar and across the bridge. He paused at the central platform, surveying the view over the grey horizon.

"You have recovered further since I left," his father noted.

"Getting there," Luke agreed. "You want to go back to Coruscant?"

"No. I would like you to remain here indefinitely. You can complete your exams at the nearest Imperial education centre."

The idea of staying far away from the Emperor was attractive to Luke for a moment, but only for a moment. "No, I … all my friends are on Coruscant, and I want to be there for graduation day. And Lieutenant Hicks is getting married soon … I'm invited to the wedding. Which reminds me … next time you're at Sienar, can you pick up one of those fancy limited edition models with the gold display stand? I need it for a gift."

His father studied him. "Are you certain you wish to go back?"

Luke looked down at his boots. "You'll be there too, right?"

"If I have to leave, I will take you with me."

"Then it will be fine."

His father continued to stare at the lava river, and then he said, "We will return in a few days. I also need time away from the capital."

Luke glanced at his father.

"Are you still angry with the Emperor?"

His father didn't respond, but Luke didn't feel any shift in his mood to indicate the question had annoyed him. He felt resigned.

Eventually, he said, "My relationship with the Emperor is not something you need to concern yourself with, young one."

"You know, whenever you tell me I don't need to worry about something, I usually later find out it was incredibly important."

"When you are older—"

"I am older."

"When you have a deeper understanding of the nature of the Force, there are things I can share with you."

Luke frowned. "I don't need a deeper understanding of the Force. I just need some honesty. What would have happened to me if I had agreed to become the Emperor's apprentice? I had dreams, and they weren't pretty."

His father looked at him then, and Luke felt a sudden sense of regret and sadness. His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could ask further questions, his father turned away, walking quickly back into the fortress. Luke considered going after him, and then concluded he'd made it clear he wasn't going to discuss it further.

* * *

His father remained in a depressed mood for the following days, and spent most of his time in the bacta tank. Luke had been hoping they might take advantage of the unexpected time off to go for a flight, or work on some of the modification projects, but at least the lack of such distractions meant he was feeling increasingly confident that he wouldn't completely fail his finals.

They returned to Coruscant at the end of the weekend, and Luke found himself feeling hopeful as he woke up the next morning and began getting ready for school. It felt good to return to his normal routine. His normal life. The palace staff were all pleased to see him back, and he had to hurry not to be late after Lev dropped by the hangar to say hello before he left for the day.

Ben was already waiting on his apartment building landing pad when Luke stopped to pick him up and exchanged a half hug as he climbed in.

"Good to see you back, bud."

"Yeah, my father wanted me to stay on Mustafar, but I remembered you still had my Moon Bandits game," Luke said. "Besides, there's no tunnel racing there, and lava river racing is a bit too crazy, even for me. How have things been here? Have people been talking about me?"

"Let's see," Ben said, doing up his seat restraint as Luke accelerated into the air. "Armith asks every day when you're coming back."

Luke swallowed nervously.

"Greein and Cadi are completely convinced that you are a secret Sith Lord and have been nagging me to tell them about all your other mysterious Force powers."

"Oh, stars. I wonder if it's too late to go back to Mustafar?"

"But the good news is, Miss Silva gathered everyone who witnessed the fight into the assembly hall and told us that Tyloid choked on chewing gum. Everyone other than Greein and Cadi completely bought it. She also said security measures at the school had been increased to prevent unauthorized visitors, and there would now always be security droids in the cafeteria."

"Choked on chewing gum. Good, let's go with that," Luke said. "And you didn't tell anyone about me getting zapped by the Emperor, did you?"

"No." Ben looked down. "I had a big argument with my father about it the night it happened. I asked him how he could defend someone who would do that, and he started spouting all this absolute loyalty stuff he learned in guard training. Made me wonder why I even bother talking to him."

"I wish my father would actually talk about it with me," Luke said. "I've always thought his relationship with the Emperor was weird, but now that I'm older, I'm really starting to see how truly messed up it is. It's like he has some hold over him that he's not telling me."

Ben glanced up. "Like … he has to serve him or he'll kill you?"

"It was going on before I came on the scene. No, I think it's about something that happened when my father was still a Jedi. That's why he never wants to talk about the past. And why he seems to have to go along with anything the Emperor asks him to do, even if he doesn't agree."

"Maybe the Emperor has some Force power which can make people obey him," Ben suggested.

"I've been wondering about that. Like if I'd actually agreed to become his apprentice, maybe I wouldn't have been able to disobey him either." Luke shuddered at the thought. He felt sick every time he thought about his experience in the Emperor's office.

But that particular memory faded when they landed at the school, and he received a lot of welcoming smiles and greetings when he entered the locker hall with Ben. Then Armith came running up and wrapped her arms around his neck, followed by a kiss on the cheek. So much for wondering about when it was okay to do these things.

"Oh, Luke! So glad you're back."

"It's nice to see you," Luke said. And it was—she looked so happy.

"Lunchtime—come sit with us. Promise?"

"Uh, sure. Would Ophelia allow it?" Luke asked.

"Of course!"

She kissed him again and disappeared down a nearby corridor.

Ben sighed. "I will be in the library."

"No, this is a good chance for Ophelia to get to know you better."

"I don't think the invitation was for me as well," Ben said.

"Of course it was," Luke said, "I'm sure they've outgrown treating their lunch table like an exclusive club."

"So you'd think," Ben said, closing his locker.

* * *

Ophelia only gave them a look of unspoken suffering when he arrived at their lunch table with Ben in tow. But she kept quiet. Armith immediately pulled him down beside her and curled her fingers around his hand, giving it a squeeze. Luke felt self-conscious then, knowing that was his prosthetic hand, and wondering if she'd immediately feel the difference.

But she seemed happy enough flipping through a holo magazine with Ophelia, while they critiqued every outfit and hairstyle in great detail. Luke observed that Armith and the other girls would always agree with Ophelia, even if it meant changing previously expressed opinions. There was obviously some unspoken rule that she was the ultimate authority.

The guys weren't any better. As far as he could tell, they were only there because they were desperately trying to secure a graduation ball date with Ophelia. They'd take every opportunity to spout off about how richly successful or famously powerful their parents were, and would even resort to arm wrestling with each other when the first approach didn't gather much attention.

The conversation soon moved on to the size of their parent's holiday mansions on distant planets. It went on and on and Ben put his hands over his ears, trying to concentrate on some biology notes he was reading. Luke put his viewscreen down on the table with just enough force to cause the others to glance in his direction.

"Will you guys please tone it down?" he said. "Ben is trying to study."

"Yeah, shut up," Armith said, reaching over to hold Luke's hand again. "Besides, I'm sure Luke's vacation home is bigger than all of yours combined."

Ben smirked. "Oh yeah, it totally is. Spectacular views. Not much sun, though."

"You've been there?" the guy next to Ben asked, curious.

He nodded.

"So where's my invitation?" Armith asked, smirking.

"It's not a vacation home," Luke said, holding up his hands in protest. "It's a fortress built on top of a river of lava."

Armith laughed like he was kidding. Everyone else at the table looked at him with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

"If the scary haunted castle on a volcanic planet isn't your scene, he also lives at the Imperial palace," Ben said, causing Luke to cover his face with his hand.

"Yes! Good point!" Armith said.

The guys looked subdued for a moment, and then one of them spoke up.

"So, Ophelia ... have you decided who's going to the ball with—"

"I already told you yesterday," Ophelia said, rolling her eyes. "I'll start reviewing applications next week."

"But—"

"Next week."

"But—"

Ophelia stood up, and gestured to a girl on her other side. "Refresher." They quickly walked off towards the exit.

"Armith, can't you do something?" the guy said, in a slightly whiny tone. His name was Kart, and he had annoyed Luke ever since he'd discovered he'd dated Armith at one point. "For old time's sake ..."

Luke was about to ask if he had any pride at all, but Armith was already replying.

"You don't have a chance. I've told you before, she's a picky snob."

Luke looked at Armith in surprise. "I thought she was your friend."

"She is," Armith said, looking confused. "Why?"

"Uh, never mind," Luke said, deciding this was another thing he was unlikely to ever understand.

When he returned to the locker hall towards the end of lunch, he noticed Ophelia was putting a water bottle back in her own locker and didn't have any entourage, which was rare. Perhaps she had needed a break from that crowd as well. He could see an opportunity here.

"By the way," he said, when she looked up as he approached, "if you're really going to be reviewing ball partner applications next week ... I know someone who'd really like to be considered."

"Of course I wasn't serious," she said, "that was just to shut them up." She paused for a moment, and then said, "Who?"

"He's smart, funny, and your long time admirer. He doesn't have millions of credits, or live in a mansion, but I can guarantee you'd have a better time with him than any of those other guys."

"Please tell me you're not talking about your charity case friend."

"I don't know anyone called charity case," Luke said. "His name is Ben."

She started to laugh. "Nice joke. Sorry, I don't do pity dates."

"I'm not asking you to go out of pity. You should go because this is your last chance to get to know someone who wants to know you for _you_ , not for your looks, or for your money or power."

"Luke, why don't you go back to that farm you grew up on? You'd be happier there."

Luke ignored the slight. "He's always saying there's more to you than other people see ... is he right?"

Ophelia stared at him blankly for a moment, and then said, "Are you feeling all right? Armith said you'd been in the med center."

"Of course I'm feeling all right!" Luke said, annoyed. "Do you have to be sick to talk about liking someone for reasons other than their bank balance around here?"

He then noticed Cadi looking at him from across the hall. His expression was a mix of awe and fear. He groaned, looking down. Thankfully there was only two weeks of school left, because trying to keep his temper in check, lest anyone think he was a secret Sith Lord, would get old very fast.

"Forget it," Luke said, turning away. "Just don't mention this to anyone."

"There's no chance of that," Ophelia said.

It had been a bad idea to even try, but it was too late now. Hopefully, it would never get back to Ben.

* * *

Armith suggested they meet up and go for a walk in one of the local parks after class, and Luke readily agreed. Walking among the flowers and trees with a girl and talking about nothing in particular? This is exactly what he felt like after the pure insanity of the previous week. The weather was warm and there were many couples doing exactly what they were doing. Armith stopped to admire a loth-dog chasing after a ball, and Luke smiled at the sight of a young boy streaking past on a hoverboard. That might have been him five years ago.

Afterwards, they lay under the trees, and every so often Armith would cuddle in a little bit closer, while Luke tried not to get nervous about it. At one point, she leaned her head up to kiss him. It was on the mouth this time, much to Luke's surprise. The experience was short-lived, however.

"Oy!"

They both sat up quickly. A stormtrooper stood in front of them, brandishing his blaster.

"This is a public park, not a fly-in holomovie. There are children here. Get a room!"

"We were just kissing," Armith said, annoyed. "And my mother is a senator."

"Really? Maybe I should make a holo and sell it to the tabloids."

"That's not necessary," Luke said, quickly shifting away from Armith.

The stormtrooper watched them for a few more seconds, and then moved on to hassle the next couple. Luke gave Armith an apologetic look.

"Sorry."

"He did make a good suggestion," Armith said, suddenly grinning.

"Selling it to the tabloids?"

"No, getting a room. Can we go to your place?"

"Uh ..." Luke felt himself turning red. "Well, first I'd need to get you a security pass. I know the officer in charge of guest passes so that shouldn't be too much of a problem." For a moment, he imagined Lieutenant Hicks' reaction to such a request, and wondered if he'd believe she was a platonic friend. "Then I'd need to make sure my father was on the other side of the galaxy. He's been protective lately, so I don't think he'll be leaving anytime soon."

"Really? I figured he'd be always doing something important somewhere."

"He's often over at IMH or ISB, so maybe I can find a good day. I could give you a tour."

She smiled. "Sounds like fun. I've never been behind the scenes at the Imperial Palace. Only the parts where they host events for the senators and their families." She nudged him. "I bet you know all the dark and mysterious corners."

"The library has a lot of dark corners," Luke said. "But my favourite place is actually the ship hangar. That's where I tune up my speeder bike."

"Ah, your other girlfriend," she said, squeezing his hand playfully.

Luke blinked a few times, feeling amazed she actually thought of herself as his girlfriend. Did this mean she considered him her boyfriend?

"So, uh … should I … should I introduce myself to your parents?"

She picked up a handful of grass, and then let it blow away in the wind. "Not possible."

"Why not?"

"I promised my mother I wouldn't date so much this year. She wanted me to focus on my studies. I'm not sure she'd approve anyway."

"Because of my father," Luke said, hugging his knees.

"She's not one of those Rebel sympathizers, like Princess Organa. But your father ... well, that would be a big step and they don't like drama."

"You know Princess Organa?" Luke said. "She's great! So beautiful ..."

Armith gave him a look of disbelief, and Luke realized he'd slipped up.

"Uh ... but you're a hundred times prettier," Luke said. He paused for a moment, realizing he sounded like Ophelia's shallow lunch table admirers. Stars, this was difficult. He was so awkward. "And you have a warm, caring personality. Not like Ophelia."

This seemed to please Armith, and she reached out to hold his hand. "Yeah. She's a real pain."

Luke considered asking why they were friends, but decided he was better off not knowing. Armith had shuffled up next to him again, and was leaning up to kiss him again, but then she quickly turned away.

"Prude stormtrooper, twenty meters behind you."

Luke sighed, and picked up his study notes. Maybe he should try distracting himself with galactic history.

* * *

Armith didn't forget his offer to give him a tour of the Imperial Palace, and Luke realized he was just going to have to get all the mockery and loaded remarks over with. The first step was innocently quizzing Lev about his father's schedule over the next few days and identifying an appropriate time. Conveniently, his father would be attending a classified meeting at ISB the following afternoon.

Then he had to brave the security office. He brought along Lieutenant Hicks' favourite snack to help his case, and purposely chose the last ten minutes before his shift ended, just to make sure he wouldn't drag this out.

It started out well enough. At first, he insisted he couldn't eat the food because of some wedding preparation health regime, but then he ate it anyway, while asking Luke how his studies were going, and if he was looking forward to graduating, and Luke answered everything as casually as possible. Then it was time.

"So, the other reason I'm here," Luke started, adjusting so he was sitting backwards on the revolving chair in front of Lieutenant Hicks' desk. "I have a friend who needs a pass to visit me here."

"A new friend?"

"Sort of. One of my classmates."

"What's his name?" He'd brought up a search screen where he could perform some basic identity checks.

"Her actually."

His head snapped around. "Not that Alderaanian princess?"

"No, this is someone else. Armith Yeelin. Her mother is a senator."

He stared at him with his clear green eyes for way too long, and then leaned back in his chair, turning his head to the side so Luke could see his gills. "Hey, Commander. Luke wants to have a girl over."

"Oh, stars," Luke said, covering his face. Commander Julius came out of the back office at a sprint.

"Who?"

Lieutenant Hicks gestured at the screen, where he'd brought up copies of all Armith's government records.

"I thought you were friendly with that princess, Cupcake?" Commander Julius said, looking at him with suspicion. "Did you break up already?"

"We were never dating!" Luke insisted. "We're friends!"

"What about this one?" she said, gesturing at the screen.

Luke hesitated. That's all it took.

"Oh, this is serious," Lieutenant Hicks said, glancing up at his boss. "We're going to need to thoroughly vet this one. ISB profile, parents histories, everything."

"Does your father know about this?" Commander Julius said, pointing at him.

Luke closed his eyes, telling himself that maybe one day he would look back on this humiliation and laugh. Hopefully.

"No, and it's at a really early stage now. There's no way she's ready to meet my father. She just wants to come over and have a tour."

"A tour," Lieutenant Hicks said, smiling. "Is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

Luke groaned. "Why is this a problem? Seriously, you sorted out the pass for Ben in a few minutes."

"I know, and you made sure I regretted that," Lieutenant Hicks said. "Besides, he already had basic clearance."

"Don't you have exams next week, Cupcake?" Commander Julius asked, frowning at him. "Are you sure this is a good time to be pursuing a new relationship?"

"I'm seventeen. Dating is what a normal seventeen year old does. Can I _please_ be allowed to be normal for once?" He looked between them, and saw both their expressions soften.

"We'll sort this out for you," Lieutenant Hicks said. "But it might take a few days."

"Thank you," Luke said, trying not to sound too dejected. They would miss the window of opportunity tomorrow afternoon, but perhaps his father would have another late afternoon meeting elsewhere before too much longer.

"In the meantime, make sure you aren't holding hands with this girl in public if you want to keep your father out of the loop," Commander Julius said. "I heard about those pictures taken at the Senate. Those media droids are getting worse."

Luke swallowed, remembering the kissing in the park. He had to be more careful.

* * *

Armith was understanding when he explained the situation at the palace, and even suggested some other places they could go where they wouldn't be bothered by stormtroopers or media droids. Ophelia and her friends frequented numerous private clubs and lounges for the exclusive use of members who paid a large fee for the privilege.

It wasn't until the end of the week when it occurred to him he was sitting an exam tomorrow in galactic history, the accumulation of an entire year's work, and he had barely revised a quarter of the material since returning from Mustafar. It was time to cram like he'd never crammed before.

As evening became nighttime, he filled his head with everything from the first days of interplanetary commerce, to the rise of the Empire. There were dates, quotes, events and names but few of them were linking together. His bed was looking more enticing by the minute.

Finally, he called the kitchen droids, and ordered hot chocolate laced with caffeine. That should see him through to the early hours.

When the bedroom doors finally opened, it wasn't a moment too soon.

"Put it there," Luke said, gesturing toward the corner of his study desk. He didn't look up from his notes on the origins of the Clone Wars.

"Put what where?"

Luke jumped, and glanced up quickly. A parental unit was standing just inside his room, with his arms folded in a business-like way.

"Uh ... nothing."

"It is nearly midnight, Son. Go to bed."

"But I have an exam tomorrow. I need to finish studying!"

"Bed. _Now_."

Luke had heard him use that tone with officers. Never a good sign. He released a long sigh, and then stood up.

"Goodnight, then."

"Get in the bed."

"Yes, _sir_ ," Luke said, sarcastically. He obeyed his father's instructions, however, and shuffled in under the covers. His father watched until satisfied, and then turned out the room lights with the Force.

Luke listened as the doors closed, and then he counted to twenty. Once satisfied his father had returned to his own room, Luke stood up and fumbled for his portable light. Turning on the room lights was too much of a risk, but he could continue studying under the covers. If his father happened to check on him, which he most probably would, it would be easy to switch it out and pretend to be sleeping.

It wasn't the most comfortable way to study, as it grew stuffy under the blankets, and the sheets kept getting in the way. But it worked, and he managed to get through the final part of the origins of the Clone Wars. Now onto the formation of the Empire, the last topic he had to cover. At this rate, maybe he could be finished in an hour.

Luke had just begun to read the first paragraph of his summary notes, when the distant sound of approaching footsteps caused him to reach for the light. He swept his datapads aside and shuffled up to lie on the pillow. By the time the bedroom doors opened, he was lying completely still and breathing gently.

His father stood inside the door, and Luke expected him to go away once he was satisfied. But soon the familiar breathing moved closer. Luke was just debating whether to say something, when he felt a sudden surge in the Force. A rush of air surrounded his body, and Luke quickly sat up. The sheets were folded back, and the portable light was floating through the air towards waiting arms.

"Hey!" Luke protested. He scrambled for his datapads, but they were already going the same way as the portable light.

"That, Son, is the oldest trick in the galaxy. You can have these back in the morning."

"But ... I need them! I'll only be another thirty minutes, I promise!"

"You should have been asleep hours ago."

"Do you want me to fail?!"

His father dumped the portable light and datapads on a shelf by the door, and then walked over to the bedside. "You will fail if you do not get a good night's sleep." He raised a hand, and the sheets folded back over Luke. "I recall a legend about a Jedi who tried reading under the covers, using his lightsaber for illumination."

"What happened?" Luke said, anticipating something gruesome.

"He ended up chopping his bed in half."

"I thought you were going to say he ended up chopping his hand off, and that Jedi was actually you," Luke said.

"I would never do anything so stupid. Nor did I ever leave all my study to the last minute, so I felt compelled to try it."

"I knew there would be a lesson in there."

"Haven't you been studying during the week? Artoo complained you have hardly been home, and I assumed you were at the library with your spineless friend."

"Uh ... "

What could have been an awkward interrogation was interrupted by the sound of the door-comm. His father turned around immediately, and walked over to see who it was. A droid stood on the other side, holding a steaming mug.

"Greetings, sir. Master Luke requested this drink."

"What is it?"

"Hot chocolate with added caffeine."

His father glanced back towards the bed, and Luke dragged the pillow over his face.

"Discard it," his father said. "And never give Luke anything with caffeine at night."

"Yes, sir."

The droid left, and soon Luke felt the pillow being removed from his face.

"Caffeine?"

"I'm sleepy now," Luke said. "You can leave."

"If not, you soon will be."

He reached up and touched his forehead. Luke was about to ask what he meant, when he felt an unstoppable wave of sleep. The last thing he remembered hearing was a distant goodnight.

* * *


	11. Graduation Ball

Despite the worry and stress of the night before, Luke found his history exam to be surprisingly kind. The final question was an essay titled 'describe how the role of the Senate changed in the transition from Republic to Empire'. It was a gift after his practical lessons with Professor Graphas.

At the end of the second day of exams, Lieutenant Hicks left a message to say he had a pass ready for Armith now. He noted it was for the main floors only, and his father would have to approve access to his ship hangar and the floor where he and Luke had their private rooms. Luke found he didn't mind. Just the thought of showing Armith his bedroom was more than a little embarrassing.

After another careful analysis of his father's schedule, he found the ISB meeting was again in his calendar, and finally, he was able to invite Armith over.

"So, we've got about two hours," Luke said, as they walked through the first security checkpoint. "I can show you around the main floors and then maybe we can do some study in the library." It was their final exam tomorrow, and his father was one more late night away from introducing an enforced bedtime, so Luke was being careful not to push it.

"Can I see your bedroom?" she asked, looking up at the Imperial flags as they entered the main hall.

"Your security pass doesn't cover that floor," Luke explained.

"But yours does?" she said, smiling at him.

"I'm pretty sure the security team will be watching our every move," Luke said, stopping by an elevator bay. "They get really bored sometimes. We can go up to the—"

Luke broke off as the elevator doors opened, revealing Artoo and Threepio. Artoo began beeping and whistling, and Threepio spoke over him.

"Master Luke! Your guest has arrived … how wonderful!"

Luke was taken aback for a moment, and then just nodded.

"Artoo, Threepio, this is Armith. Armith, these are my droids."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Armith," Threepio said.  
I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. This is my counterpart, Artoo Detoo."

Artoo continued to beep and whistle while Armith looked bemused by the droids.

"I'm just taking Armith for a tour," Luke said. "Where are you two going?"

"A tour! Oh, Master Luke, you must let me accompany you. I've been assisting the palace protocol droids in conducting official tours."

"Ah, Threepio, that's a kind offer but …"

Artoo made an encouraging beep. Luke looked between the two droids, feeling a twinge of guilt when he realised how little time he'd spent with them since returning from Mustafar. They were both overdue for some maintenance work.

"All right," he said. "But can we just try and keep it interesting?"

"Of course, Master Luke! Fascinating insights into the history and aesthetics of the Imperial Palace are my specialty!"

Artoo made a rude noise, and Luke instantly knew this was a mistake. There was nothing he could do about it now, however. They started the tour at the conservatory, as Luke knew Armith liked flowers, but after five minutes of listening to Threepio talk about all the different varieties of leaves on the Ranadorian tiger plant, she was clearly over this. It was made worse by Artoo interrupting constantly, apparently feeding Threepio more facts from his databanks.

When they finally reached the library, Luke knew he had to find a way to get the droids to give them some privacy. They only had an hour left.

"Hey, listen you two," Luke said, crouching down to talk to Artoo. "Armith and I need to study for our exam tomorrow, okay? I need you to go and find my databook on economic regulation. It might be in my room somewhere. Try under the bed, in the closet, and in the refresher. If it's not there, check all the tech rooms in the hangar. I might also have left it in one of the speeders, or one of the ships."

"Of course, Master Luke!" Threepio said. "We'll find it as quickly as possible."

"Take as long as you need, Threepio," Luke said. "You two need a rest."

"Oh, I assure you, we are fully charged and ready to—"

"Just leave already, for star's sake," Armith snapped. "Luke, you're way too nice to your droids."

Artoo launched into a series of angry beeps and whistles.

"Artoo!" Luke said, picking up on a few of the insults. "Armith is my friend. If you're going to be like that, then you should stay in the hangar."

Artoo made another rude noise and then turned and rolled away.

"Wait, you silly," Threepio said, walking after him. "Don't get into one of your moods! Master Luke is only trying to—"

The main doors slid closed after them, and Luke turned to Armith. "Sorry about that. I haven't been spending much time with him, and I think he's a little jealous."

She raised an eyebrow. "Jealous? You should scrap it and get a new model. That protocol droid as well … he never shuts up."

Luke felt a wave of protectiveness at her words and turned away. So many people treated droids with no respect at all, so he shouldn't take it personally. But it was difficult to hear anyone say that about his two friends. She took his left hand in both of hers, and started caressing it. "Doesn't matter now, anyway," she said. "We're alone."

Luke gestured up at one of the cameras. "Don't count on it."

Armith glanced around. "This is a big, old library. There's got to be some secret rooms."

"Well … there is one secret door," Luke said. "I think it used to be a back route out of the library for the Jedi temple guards, back in the day. It's all been closed up now, but part of the passage is still there. Come on, I'll show you."

They climbed up the winding staircase, and Luke wandered between the shelves of databooks until he found the right spot. He turned on the light when he found it.

"It's not that comfortable, but we can study on the floor," Luke said, dropping his school backpack by the entrance.

Armith followed him in, grinning for some reason. Then she turned off the light.

"Kind of hard to study with the light off," Luke remarked. There was still a dim light from the open door, but as Armith came further in, the thin door closed behind her.

"I thought we might take a break from the study for a moment," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Luke backed up against the wall, thanking the Force there were no security cameras in here.

* * *

The first hint Vader had that something was wrong was the sight of Artoo racing down the main entrance hall at top speed, with Threepio trying and failing to keep up and loudly complaining about 'temperamental astromech droids'. Artoo whistled loudly when he saw him, and came to a halt, wheels screeching on the polished floor at the abrupt change in motion.

"What is it?" Vader asked.

_Luke! He has a girlfriend who doesn't even like droids! She was rude to Threepio! You need to do something!_

"Artoo, what are you telling Lord Vader?" Threepio said, finally catching up. "I'm sorry, sir. He's throwing the most childish tantrum. Anyone would think he was fresh off the assembly line."

"Girlfriend?" Vader repeated.

"Yes, he does have a young lady with him," Threepio said. "She was rather rude to me, but I am used to such things. No one worries about upsetting a droid."

"Where are they?"

"They are studying in the library. Master Luke did say they have an exam tomorrow. We are supposed to be looking for his databook on economic regulation, but I'm afraid Artoo is being too contrary for such a task."

"Never mind, Threepio," Vader said. "Return to the hangar. I doubt Luke has any genuine need for a databook."

"Oh. Well, if you think so, sir."

Vader immediately turned for the elevator. Artoo followed close behind, chirping away about Luke's 'poor taste in romantic companions'.

"He must take after his mother in that regard."

It took Artoo a moment, but then he made a chuckling noise and immediately cheered up. He remained behind Vader when they left the elevator and proceeded into the library. There was no sign of any occupants, but he could feel a strong sense of Luke's presence. His son was clearly too distracted to pay attention to their bond, as he didn't respond to his appearance until he arrived outside the secret passage and triggered the door with a wave of the Force.

This was followed by a violent scuffling noise, and Luke scrambled out of the darkness, sending waves of panic and embarrassment across their link. Vader gave Luke a silent visual inspection. His hair was ruffled, he was breathing quickly, and turning a very bright shade of red.

Behind him, a girl tried to slip past, but then stopped and stared up at Vader with a wide-eyed expression of fear and disbelief.

"Um ... Armith, this is my father," Luke said, sounding like he was trying hard to sound casual.

"I suggest you remove yourself from my presence as quickly as possible," Vader said, pointing at the girl.

She was at least intelligent enough to realize his suggestion was in fact a threat, and she took off for the exit at a sprint. Vader reached out to hold Luke back as he made to go after her, and he angrily shoved him off.

"Thanks a lot! Now she'll never come over again!"

"Good."

"Why do you always embarrass me in front of my friends?!"

"I made it clear you were not to be alone with young women without a chaperone." He looked from Luke to the dark space from where they'd emerged. "What were you doing?"

"None of your business!"

"I suspect she was taking advantage of your lack of experience in such matters. This is why you need a chaperone."

Luke closed his eyes for a moment, and the silence caused Vader to become aware of something unusual about his son. The Force was shaking with his frustration. They had argued before, and Luke had thrown far worse tantrums than this, but it had never generated such energy. Interesting.

"I just want to be normal," Luke said, his tone now quiet, in contrast to the Force energy surrounding him. "I want to graduate high school. I want to go to the pilot academy. I want to live somewhere normal where you don't need a security pass. And yes, I want to be able to have a girlfriend and maybe even get married someday. Maybe have a family of my own. And if I have children, I don't want their friends to be too terrified to speak to me because I'm a Sith Lord!"

Vader felt cold at the words. The imagined vision began to play out in his mind. Luke, happily married and living on some mid-rim planet of endless suburbia. Every other year, his son would find the time to visit—only to show him his newest grandchild and ask if he'd mind babysitting.

Gone would be any possibility of training him to fulfill his potential. Gone would be any chance of ruling the galaxy with his son by his side. Nothing would lie ahead but an endless future watching his master lead the galaxy further into self-destruction.

"You would deny your own destiny?!" Vader asked.

But Luke was no longer standing in front of him. He was halfway down the stairs.

"I'm spending the night at Ben's!" he shouted back.

* * *

Fortunately, it was Ben who answered the door to his apartment, and not his father, as Captain Jarnet was out with coworkers for the evening. Ben even managed to contain his laughter when he explained the circumstances that had led to him needing a place to take shelter for the night.

"So have you tried calling her?" Ben suggested.

"No, I'm too embarrassed," Luke said, looking down. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch in Ben's lounge. "She probably thinks I lied about him being at a meeting just to get her to come over."

"At least now you can concentrate on studying for the exam tomorrow," Ben said, turning back to his own datapads, spread out on the kitchen island.

Ben did have a point, but what he really wanted to do was download the application forms for the flight school at the Imperial Academy and start the enrollment process. There was no point in waiting for his father's permission. He just had to go ahead and do this, much like his friend had done with medical school.

But after taking a look at the exam score requirements, he concluded he could stand to wait a day and invest his time this evening in preparing for tomorrow's final.

In the morning, Luke woke to the smell of a cooked breakfast. Ben was still snoring when he walked past his bedroom door on his way to investigate, so he wasn't surprised to find Ben's father already up and about. He was pushing something around a hot pan.

"Good morning," he said, cheerily.

Luke slid onto one of the high kitchen stools and rested his arms on the counter top. "Wow. I haven't seen food being cooked the old-fashioned way since I came to Coruscant. What are those?"

"Pancakes. My grandmother's old recipe." He scooped a well-cooked one off the pan and put it on a plate for Luke. "Thought we'd celebrate the last day of high school for you two. Try it. You can really taste the human-cooked difference."

Luke had to admit it was delicious. In a few minutes, both he and Ben's father had eaten a good dozen between them, and Luke was starting to wonder if he should save some for Ben.

"So, what are your plans over the next few months?" Ben's father asked, flipping another pancake.

Luke shrugged. "I'm not sure. My father did mention something about attending some practical lessons at the military headquarters and ISB." Luke poured syrup on another hot pancake and munched it in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I've been meaning to thank you," Luke said, finally. "But I haven't had a chance."

"For what?"

"Taking me to the medical center after ... well, you know what happened."

"You remember that?" He sounded sad.

Luke nodded.

He was facing away from Luke, loading the dirty cooking implements into the cleaning unit. "Luke, do you remember the first time we met? I told you to contact me if you needed help."

"Sure," Luke said, feeling a little unsettled by the serious tone.

"I want you to know that even though a lot has changed since then, it still applies. It will always apply. I know a lot of the palace staff feel exactly the same."

Luke was saved from having to reply by the sound of a door sliding open. A half-asleep Ben wandered out of the refresher.

"Smells good ..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"You better hurry up," Luke said, as his friend came to sit beside him.

"Pancakes," Ben said, pushing five onto his plate. "I can't remember when we last had these. Luke, you should come over more often."

Luke had been thinking the same thing. The sound of the sizzling pan was taking him back to farm days. Uncle Owen had a similar attitude to cooking droids, insisting food tasted better when you put the effort in yourself. He didn't like droids in general.

Ben's father dumped the last of the pancakes on the plate, stirring Luke out of his memory. He moved his fork towards them, but Ben got in first.

"That's the last of the ingredients, by the way," Ben's father said. "If you want more, you better go food shopping after your exam."

"Boring," Ben complained.

Ben's father raised an eyebrow and Luke could sense he was about to start a responsibility lecture.

"No problem," Luke said, hastily trying to keep the peace. "I need to go to the mall anyway. I need to find something to wear to Lieutenant Hicks' wedding and the graduation ball." Both events were the same day.

"There's a graduation ball?" Ben's father said, clearly surprised. He looked at Ben. "You never mentioned this."

"Because I'm not going."

"Why not?" Luke asked, surprised.

"I don't have a date."

"Did you bother to ask anyone?" Ben's father asked. "Or were you too busy studying?"

Ben frowned but remained silent.

"You don't need a date," Luke said. "I bet lots of people don't have dates. I didn't have a date until recently and I was still going."

Ben didn't reply. His father only sighed in response and then moved around the apartment, picking up fallen objects and moving furniture out of the way. He and Ben did not speak to each other again until he was walking out the door.

"Remember to lock up when you leave. Don't answer the door without checking the security camera first."

"Sure."

The doors slid closed behind him. Shortly afterwards, Ben finally finished his breakfast and tossed the plate noisily into the automatic washer.

"Come on, let's get the exam over with."

* * *

There was no time before the exam to smooth things over with Armith, and Luke found himself distracted a few times in the middle of typing up long answers to multi-part questions. She was sitting over the other side of the room and didn't appear particularly focused either. One of the monitoring droids hovered beside his desk, and he quickly looked back at his own screen.

After it was all over, he made his way through the crowd of celebrating students and found Armith just coming out of the refresher.

"Hi," Luke said, reaching out to hold both her hands. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. He must have come back early … I should have had Threepio on lookout duty."

"It's fine," Armith said. "I'll see you at the ball tomorrow night, okay?"

"You don't want to go somewhere later? To celebrate the end of exams?"

"Ophelia and I are going shopping for ball dresses."

"Okay. Um … what time should I pick you up tomorrow, then?"

"Don't worry, I'll meet you there. Ophelia's chauffeur is picking me up." She reached up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and then disappeared into the crowd.

Luke stared after her, feeling a little rejected. He'd been planning to pick Armith up in the MX speeder and maybe introduce himself to her parents. They might let go of any negative assumptions once they actually met him. But it wasn't to be.

And why didn't she want to see him until tomorrow night? Had meeting his father really scared her so badly? He frowned, and his anger over the incident rose up once again. This would not be easy to fix.

Greein came up to him then, asking how he'd found the exam, and Luke found it was a struggle to give a sensible answer. He really didn't feel like being around people right now and definitely not like celebrating. He soon found Ben talking with one of the teachers, and his friend came over once he saw his dejected expression.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Luke said. "You still want to go to the mall? I'm leaving now."

Ben nodded, frowning. He followed him into the elevator and continued to glance at him, until Luke looked away.

"Is Armith mad?" he prompted.

"No, she's … I don't know. She seems fine."

"Seems?"

Luke looked down.

"Does this mean we're now both dateless for the ball?"

"No," Luke snapped. "I thought you weren't coming to the ball?"

Ben raised his hands in a calm down gesture. Luke sighed. "She's coming, she just didn't want me to pick her up for some reason. She said Ophelia is picking her up. I guess that's okay. I shouldn't complain."

"Sounds like she's realized you're not the nice accessory she was looking for," Ben suggested.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means your father is actually a really good litmus test for weeding out insincere people," Ben suggested. "If they can accept him, you know they genuinely like you and aren't just interested in your power."

"I _don't_ have any power," Luke said. "And that's an insanely high bar for anyone to get over. I'm not even talking to my father right now."

Ben actually rolled his eyes. "You know that never works. I've tried it enough to know. It just turns into a contest of who is more stubborn."

"I don't care. Besides, I'm ten times more stubborn than him."

"Don't I know it," Ben mumbled.

"What?!"

"I'm just kidding—"

"No, you're not!" Luke said, feeling his temper rise. "You're jealous of me because I have a date and now you're trying to make me doubt her sincerity."

"Are you feeling okay?" Ben said, frowning. "You're acting crazier than normal."

Luke made a noise of frustration and started walking determinedly across the hangar towards the speeder. "Find your own way to the mall," he said. "I need to be alone."

* * *

After flying laps around Imperial City, pushing the limits of the speeder's engine, Luke found himself considering his next move. He wasn't talking to his father, he was angry with his friend, and his girlfriend didn't want to see him until tomorrow. The _Bloodfin_ was at home, along with his father, so visiting the Speedsters wasn't an option.

At times like this, he wished he could take a ship and fly off into the stars.

Finally, he parked the speeder on a public landing pad at the top end of the senate square. There was a lookout point within walking distance that provided a clear view over the statues and fountains down below, across to the huge round dome of the senate chamber.

The viewing space was filled with tourists taking holos, as usual, but Luke secured himself a vacant bench when a family of Gossams departed on a tour airbus. As he sat down, he gazed at the square far below, following random people as they went about their business. Normal people.

"Hello."

Luke jumped and looked up quickly at the figure beside him. He immediately broke into a smile, and not just because his greeter was holding two ice creams.

"Leia!"

"I thought you looked like cheering up," she said, handing him the ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. "Taking a break from study?"

"Study is finished," Luke explained. "My last exam was this morning. I'm just ... thinking about my life, I guess."

"I like to come here for the view," Leia said, taking a bite from her own ice cream as she sat down beside him. "The Senate looks much better from this far away."

Luke grinned. "I agree."

"So what are your plans now? Looking for a job?"

"Well," Luke said, distantly. "I know what I want to do. But I don't think it's really up to me."

"It's always up to you."

Luke was silent, thinking. It was frustrating, not being able to explain further, because he knew Leia would understand what it was like to be destined for public service. She was a princess, after all.

Nearby, a tour guide was spouting random facts about the senate to a group of visiting Mon Calamari students and their teacher. Luke raised an eyebrow when the guide said loudly that the most important decisions in the galaxy were made in the building in front of them.

"Should we correct him?" Leia said, mirroring his own thoughts.

"You can," Luke said. "You could probably get away with it."

"Far from it. I was permanently removed from a refugee planning committee yesterday."

"What happened?"

"I offended chairman General Uesion. It started last week, when I visited the Ritagis refugee camps, in order to make holo-recordings and conduct interviews to support my presentation to the committee. He said it amounted to nothing more than Rebel propaganda. Then, after I gave him a written report that provided irrefutable evidence that the actions of the regional governor were directly responsible for the refugee's situation, he turned bright red and said I was a disgrace to the senate."

She smiled slightly, a look of satisfaction in her dark brown eyes.

"He sounds like a nerfherder," Luke observed.

Leia smiled wider. "I _knew_ someone else would see that. My father thought I was baiting him for the sake of it."

"Parents never understand," Luke said, bitterly. "But I won't get started on my father. He met my girlfriend yesterday, and I don't think she's recovered yet. She doesn't want to see me until our graduation ball tomorrow night."

Leia nodded, knowingly. "Just try dating when you're a princess and a senator. The last ball I attended, the Alderaan royal guard was breathing down my date's neck the entire time."

Luke suddenly had the urge to ask if Leia wanted to come to the ball tomorrow. He stopped himself just before the words left his mouth, as logic reminded him that he couldn't take two girls, unless he had a death wish.

He thought quickly and then had a sudden idea.

"Remember my friend Ben?" Luke said. "He's disappointed that he doesn't have a date for our graduation ball. He's had a crush on a girl in our class for years, but she just laughed at the idea of going with him."

"Laughed? How cruel."

"Yes. Now he's saying he won't go if he doesn't have a date."

"I'll go with him," Leia said. "I'd love to go to a regular ball where the attendees aren't royalty and senators. That is, if you think your friend wouldn't mind."

"I'll let you know if he considers a date with an Alderaanian princess to meet his standards," Luke said, smirking.

* * *

Luke was still smiling by the time he arrived back at the palace, much later in the day. It had taken him a good hour to convince Ben that he wasn't playing a cruel joke, and Leia really did want to go with him. It took another hour to convince him that he was worthy to take a princess on a date. They spent the rest of the afternoon at the mall, buying clothes to wear to the ball, flowers for the girls, cologne and bulk ingredients to make enough pancakes to feed an army.

His father wasn't in the hangar or his room, and Luke was relieved he wasn't forced to relive yesterday's argument already, as it had been a long, exhausting day, and tomorrow's schedule was just as busy. Nothing felt better than to belly-flop into bed and forget about his crazy life for a few hours. Thankfully, there had been no further nightmare visions since the incident with the Emperor, something Luke was wholeheartedly grateful for.

He liked to think that his decision to say no to the Emperor's offer had rendered the dream-future non-existent, even if he was currently not on speaking terms with his father. If only he'd just admit when he was behaving unreasonably, they wouldn't have so many arguments.

When he woke in the morning, he noticed a box had been left on the chair, beside where he'd laid out the clothes he was wearing to the wedding and then to the graduation ball. He was fairly certain it hadn't been there last night, but perhaps he'd been too tired to notice. After fumbling with the edges of it for a moment, the lid fell open, and he found it was a model TIE fighter, carefully sculpted with all the fine details. There was also a gold display stand.

Luke sighed as he looked at it, feeling a twinge of guilt. Maybe his father had intended this as a peace offering, but the humiliation was still too fresh.

Artoo and Threepio were waiting near his speeder when he arrived in the hangar bay. The smaller droid had been avoiding him since their argument yesterday, but he appeared to have recovered enough to give him a cheerful beep.

"You look nice, Master Luke," Threepio said. "You must pass on Artoo and I's best wishes to Lieutenant Hicks."

"I will, Threepio," Luke said, patting him on the shoulder. "Tell my father I won't be home until midnight because of my graduation ball, will ya?"

He was pretty sure Lieutenant Hicks still considered both droids to be a dangerous security risk and lamented their lack of restraining bolts, but there was no need to tell Threepio that.

The wedding was held at a fancy venue just outside of Imperial City, full of glass-domed gardens and indoor waterfalls. A large number of the palace staff attended, including many of the royal guards in their black dress uniforms. This made for a strange experience where they all knew who he was, but he had no idea who most of them were, having never actually seen their faces in five years of living at the palace. But Ben's father was there, and he waved him over to sit with him and Commander Julius, who was looking surprisingly emotional.

"Are you okay?" Luke whispered.

She nodded, and then reached up to dab her eyes with a tissue.

"She gets all mushy over weddings," a man beside her said, nudging her in a playful way.

"Cupcake, this is my husband," she said.

"Hello, nice to meet you," the man said, reaching past his wife to shake his hand. "Are you another member of the security team?"

Luke raised an eyebrow, surprised an adult could think he was that old. But now that he thought about it, there were ensigns working at the palace who were only a few years older than he was.

Commander Julius gave her husband a look. "Seriously? You think I'd call a member of my team 'Cupcake'? This is Luke Skywalker. He's Lord Vader's son."

Her husband glanced at him again, this time with the familiar uncomfortable expression of disbelief.

"You know, that actually makes it sound even weirder that you call him Cupcake," Captain Jarnet said.

"I've known this young lad since he was a lot shorter than he is now," she said, putting an arm around Luke. "I taught him how to take down a Gamorrean in hand-to-hand combat in under ten seconds."

"She did," Luke agreed. "I'm sure that will come in useful when I least expect it."

"Yes, who knows who's invited on the other groom's side," Captain Jarnet said.

"The mother of the other groom is my school principal, so I think we're safe," Luke said, smirking.

The ceremony itself was soon underway, and afterwards, there was a long receiving line to congratulate the couple, and then light refreshments while the various wedding party members had holo images made. Luke managed to avoid almost all polite conversations with adults about what he was going to do now that he had finished school by spending an hour listening to stories from Lieutenant Hicks' eccentric uncle, who had mistaken him for one of his great-nephews, and wanted to tell him all about the time he won a sabacc game against a lesser-known Hutt crime lord. It was actually a pretty good story.

After all the speeches were done and dessert had been served, Luke eyed the time, knowing he needed to go soon to pick up Ben and Leia for the graduation ball. Captain Jarnet would be leaving too, as he wanted to take some holos of him and Ben before they left. But Lev appeared by his table and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "Mind if we take a walk?"

"Sure," Luke said, standing up. He smiled at Lev, who had worn his dress uniform, as had Lieutenant Hicks. "It's so weird to see you wearing something other than your normal uniform."

"You wouldn't recognise me if you saw me in civvies," he said, returning the smile. It didn't quite reach his eyes though. He seemed sad.

"Don't tell me you get mushy over weddings too," Luke teased, as they walked down a path towards one of the water features.

"It is a little bittersweet," Lev said. "Hicks' and I have been friends since academy days, and now that he's moving out of the apartment, it feels like the end of an era. That's what I wanted to talk about, actually. Life changes."

"Uh, okay," Luke said, raising an eyebrow. He really hoped this wasn't about relationships.

Lev glanced behind them, making sure they were alone, and then said, "I'm sorry I haven't been around since you returned from Mustafar. I was busy with this wedding preparation."

"It's no problem … I've been busy with things myself."

"Yes, I hope all your exams went well."

Luke nodded.

"But we've all been worried about you. After what happened with the Emperor …" Lev looked down, shaking his head.

"It's okay. I mean, it wasn't _okay_ , but I survived," Luke said, attempting to sound casual. "He had all these ideas about my future that I didn't agree with, and he's so used to getting his way all the time, he figured he could just torture me and I'd do whatever he said. I will never understand why my father works for him."

Lev stared at him, looking even more worried, if that were possible.

"My father worked something out with him, and now he wants to train me to use my Force powers. But I'm planning on going to flight school instead. We'll argue about it, but I'm sure he'll give in eventually," Luke said. "He usually does. Besides, I'm not a kid anymore."

Lev was rubbing his temples. "No, you aren't," he agreed. "That's what worries me. Your father has done his best to protect you from the harsh reality of the position you've been born into, and I commend him for that. But clearly the Emperor is taking a keen interest in you now, and it's becoming more difficult."

"I can go to the flight academy in the Outer Rim," Luke suggested. "Spend weekends and semester breaks on Mustafar so I can still see my father. The Emperor will forget I even exist."

Lev was shaking his head. "That isn't how it will go, Luke. Going to the academy will only delay the inevitable. You will find yourself being forced to fight and send other men and women to their deaths over a cause I know you don't truly believe in."

Luke raised his eyebrows. He'd never heard Lev talk like this about the Empire.

"You're a member of the navy," Luke said. "You don't do bad things."

Lev looked down. "I only wish that were true."

"What do you mean?"

"When I served on the _Nova_ , before I came to the Imperial Palace, I was ordered to fire on a conference ship holding many civilians. They were government officials dispatched to negotiate a cease-fire."

"Why?"

"Because it was considered a quick and easy solution to ending a war. Peace negotiations can take months, and they often fail."

"So what did you do?!"

"I told the captain I couldn't open fire on civilians, and he was none too amused. I was taken to the brig, and someone else proceeded to destroy the ship. Disobeying an order is a capital offence in the navy, and I sat in the brig for days, waiting for my execution. However, as it turned out, luck was on my side. They couldn't formally charge me without exposing their plan in that system to the Senate. Instead, I was reassigned to desk work. Hicks found me the job at the Imperial Palace and due to some friends in high places, the incident is no longer on my record."

"Does my father know about this?" Luke asked.

"No, and it isn't the type of information I'd spread around, even among my peers. I only tell you because I feel you need to be prepared." He looked down. "I've been thinking about putting in for a transfer. I miss life in space, and I know they've been looking for navigational officers in the Outer Rim. It will be quiet, and I'd be unlucky to have a bad experience like that again. There's been no reports of Rebel activity out there."

The words made Luke feel cold. Lev leaving? But he'd always been there.

"I hope you'll keep in touch," Lev added. "I know a time may come when that will be inappropriate. Perhaps sooner than I think."

"It will never be inappropriate!" Luke insisted. He paused to steady himself. "I was afraid I would die in the Emperor's office. But there's something I'm even more scared of … losing myself and becoming something I would hate. If I ever looked at any of my friends and thought I was above them, then I would no longer be me."

Lev reached out to embrace him then, enclosing him in both arms.

"Never change, Luke," he said, quietly.

* * *

Ben was pacing up and down in the lounge when Luke and Captain Jarnet arrived at the apartment. He turned to face them, eyes wide and rubbing his fingers together in a nervous way.

"I'm-all-ready-let's-go."

"No, wait, I need a holo of you both," Captain Jarnet said, walking over to the cabinet to retrieve the device.

"No holos!" Ben said, covering his face.

"One wouldn't hurt," Luke said, grinning. He dragged Ben around, and Ben's father quickly recorded the image. He then lowered the camera and just stared at them.

"It seems like just last week the two of you were just a couple of kids."

"And you talk about _your_ father being embarrassing," Ben said, pulling Luke towards the door. "Bye, Dad."

Once they were in the corridor, Ben paused to straighten his collar, and then glanced at Luke. "You made it through the wedding?"

"Yeah, it was fine. Lev said some strange things, though."

"Lev? What things?"

Luke thought back on it, and then shook his head. "Never mind. We better not be late—" He broke off, sniffing the air. "What is that smell?"

"Did I put on too much cologne?" Ben said, looking terrified.

"Uh, not really," Luke lied, not wanting Ben to have a nervous meltdown. "Don't worry. Leia is one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"And she's probably been on hundreds of dates with princes," Ben said, as they entered the elevator. "I'll seem like a lower-level trash picker to her."

"Maybe she's tired of princes and wants to spend the evening with normal guys like us," Luke suggested. "Lower level trash pickers could be her type."

Ben smirked. "Sure, normal guys like the potential heir to the Imperial throne."

Luke looked down. Something in his expression must have given his thoughts away, because Ben stopped walking and stared at him in disbelief.

"You haven't told her?! Luke, that's crazy. Anyone could tell her at any moment. You want her to find out in front of everyone at the ball?"

"There's no reason for anyone to mention it," Luke said. "Just keep her ... distracted."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ben said.

"I don't know. Talk about politics. You can do that better than me."

"Why did I ever agree to this?" Ben said, rubbing his carefully styled hair.

* * *

When they parked on the landing pad at the official Alderaan senator's residence, they remained in silence for a minute before Luke realized his friend wasn't getting out of the speeder any time soon.

"Maybe I should sound the horn?" Luke suggested, sarcastically.

"You go in. She knows you better."

"She's your date."

"The guards will probably strip-search me."

Luke sighed. "Okay, how about we _both_ go in?"

Ben nodded.

The first set of guards were at the entrance into the building from the landing pad, and one of them spoke into his wrist comlink as they approached.

"The young men are here for the princess."

The doors slid apart in response, and then a protocol droid ushered them through into an entrance hall, and then a lounge. They were offered snacks and drinks and soon they were admiring the various paintings on the wall.

"Wow, is this Alderaan?" Ben said, gesturing at a large landscape of a lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains. "It's beautiful."

"That's the north view from the palace," a voice behind them said.

Luke turned, and the sight of Leia made him wonder who was supposed to be taking this woman to a ball, because it couldn't possibly be two ordinary boys like him and Ben. She was wearing a flowing white dress, embroidered with a silver motif, and her hair was done up in plaits on top of her head.

He glanced at Ben, and judging by his expression, he felt the same way.

"Uh … well … it has a lot more water than where I grew up, that's for sure," Luke said.

Leia smiled. "Shall we proceed, gentlemen?"

"Uh ... sure ..." Luke said.

Ben gave him a critical look, but Luke ignored it. His friend couldn't blame him for saying stupid things when he was dead silent.

Once they were out of view of the guards and Luke had opened the speeder door, Ben reached in to retrieve the bouquet.

"Um ... these are for you."

"Thank you," she said, accepting them. "Alderaanian mountain lilies! How thoughtful."

"I suggested them," Luke said, going around to the pilot's side.

"Only because I suggested getting Koreli roses for Armith," Ben countered.

Leia laughed, sliding into the front seat. "You two remind me what it's like to actually be a teenager!"

Luke shared a look with Ben over the speeder's roof, and he knew they were both in agreement. They had to be careful to act mature from now on. But when he opened the pilot's door, he looked down to find Leia had slid all the way over to the pilot's seat.

"You have to let me fly this," she said, looking over the controls. "I _never_ get to fly."

"Uh … are you licensed and insured?"

She gave him a look with such disdain, Luke hastily raised his hands. "Okay, fine. Um … Ben, you get in the back."

As soon as he had climbed in and closed the passenger door, Leia took off with the type of impatient acceleration that reminded him of the way his father flew.

"Light touch!" Luke said, hastily buckling his seat restraints. "I've made a lot of modifications."

"I can tell," she said, smiling. She merged into a lane, and then took a turn off for the industrial area, outside of Imperial City, weaving around slower speeders all the while.

"Uh, the ball venue is back that-a-way," Luke said, pointing behind them. He was grinning though, enjoying the ride.

"I know, let's just … stretch our legs for a bit," she suggested, taking advantage of a clear patch of sky to accelerate.

"Ha! She flies like you, Luke," Ben said, holding on as they took a dive down to an abandoned factory.

"Hey, I have an excuse," Luke said. "Crazy flying is in my genes." He glanced at Leia. "Is this what they taught you at princess school?"

"I wish. I had lessons from the Alderaan royal protection squad, and even then I had to push them to teach me something other than a standard beginner course."

She took them for a few more laps of the industrial district, and then sighed as she turned back. "All right. I guess duty calls."

"Hey, we can be fashionably late," Luke said. "If you want the real Coruscant teen experience, we should stop by a fly-thru diner."

"Can we?" Leia said, lighting up. "I've never done that."

An hour later, they were still sitting in a booth at some tacky diner that specialised in food loaded with sugar and salt, looking more than a little out of place in their ball outfits. But no one bothered them, and Luke found he never ran out of things to talk about with Leia. They soon discovered they had the same birthday, the same taste in pizza and the same opinion on whether you should put socks on before pants, or the other way around.

Ben kept an eye out for any roving paparazzi droids while sipping a milkshake, and then finally suggested they should get a move on as Armith might be waiting for Luke.

"Oh, good point," Luke said, checking the time. "Although, you know how Ophelia always likes to make a late, grand entrance and she was coming with her, so … but still."

Leia needed to visit the refresher, and Luke turned to Ben once they were alone.

"Sorry about that. I'm taking up all her attention."

Ben just smirked. "Don't worry about it. You two are like soul mates or something … you should tell her the truth already. Or maybe it will be easier if I tell her."

"No, no," Luke said, quickly. "I'll know when the moment is right."

When Leia returned, he wrestled the speeder keys from her, and soon they were heading for the Majestic Hotel. Their late arrival meant it was a struggle to find a space on the landing pads, which were already covered with luxury speeders and chauffeurs, and they had to catch an elevator up several floors from a lower level. Once inside, they were handed their commemorative yearbook, and Ben was soon smiling over the senior year photos.

"They've awarded Greein most likely to become a Sith Lord," he said to Luke, grinning.

Luke sighed. "Please tell me they didn't do anything that stupid for me."

Ben laughed even louder. "It says 'Most likely to open a rescue farm for broken droids'. Who did this? They've got you down."

Luke pulled it away and saw Ben had been awarded, "Most likely to actually get a university degree" while they'd given Ophelia, "Most likely to become Emperor."

He shook his head, and then decided it was time to try and find Armith. He left Leia at a table with Ben, and wandered through the crowd of his classmates and teachers, some of whom were nearly unrecognisable under the sparkling jewellery and make-up.

There was no sign of his date, but eventually he found Ophelia, who was sitting at a table with a young man whom Luke recognized as the son of another regional governor. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw Luke, and then he mumbled something about getting a drink and disappeared into the crowd.

"Hi," Luke said, sitting down. "I was held up. Is Armith here?"

"She said she'd come later. Something about a hair crisis," Ophelia said.

"Oh. Well, if you see her before I do, tell her I'm sitting there." Luke pointed vaguely towards the tables on the mezzanine level.

"Who's that girl with your friend?" Ophelia asked, sipping her drink.

"Princess Leia Organa. She's the senator for Alderaan," Luke said, casually.

Ophelia looked disgusted, as Luke expected. She was clearly upset that someone had managed to secure royalty as a ball date, when the best she could do was a governor's son.

"Well, my father says she's a Rebel sympathizer," she said, finally.

"Yeah, but she's _royalty_ ," Luke said, grinning.

"Since when did you care about that?"

"I don't. But I know you do."

Ophelia sighed. "Okay. You can tell your friend he can have one dance with me. That's it."

"You might not meet with his social standing requirements anymore," Luke said.

"What?!" she said, surprised.

Luke laughed. "I'm just kidding. I'll tell him. By the way, what are you doing next year? I guess I'll still see you at those boring parties I'm forced into attending."

Ophelia nodded. "My father wants me to do some diplomatic training, but I want to take a gap year while I decide. Travelling more would be nice, but I want to stay on Coruscant. How about you?"

"Oh, I'll probably be going back to the farm I grew up on," Luke said, smirking.

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I said that, but Armith was really annoying me that day." She was silent for a moment, and then added, "You aren't really attached to her, are you?"

"I like her," Luke said. "Why?" He suddenly felt worried. "Is she still upset about what happened with my father? She is, isn't she?"

"No," Ophelia sighed. "Forget it. I'll tell her where you are when she arrives."

"Thanks," Luke said, standing up. "See you."

When he returned to the table where Ben and Leia had been earlier, he found only their glasses remained. A quick check of the dance floor revealed Ben had obviously worked up the courage to ask Leia to dance. Or else Leia had done the asking, which seemed more likely to Luke.

After several different pieces of music, several different drinks, and several conversations with passing students and teachers, Luke finally decided it was time to go and cut in.

When he appeared at Ben's side, his friend gave him a suspicious look.

"Where's Armith?"

"She's not here yet. Mind if I dance with your date?"

"Well ..."

"Ophelia said she'll dance with you," Luke said. "Why don't you go and ask her?"

"Nice joke."

"I would never joke about that."

"She'd be crazy not to," Leia said. "You're a great dancer."

Luke took advantage of Ben's momentary dazed look to take Leia's arms and they moved back into the middle of the floor.

"We were forced to learn to dance at school," Luke explained. "Hours and hours of lessons."

But he had to admit, he was grateful for them now. His father had told him at the time that he'd appreciate it one day, and he'd refused to believe him.

"Dancing lessons aren't so bad," Leia said. "You should see social etiquette lessons. Learning the appropriate form of address for a governor, a viceroy, a duke ... it's never ending."

"I know what you mean," Luke said, turning Leia around.

"You have social lessons at school too?"

"No, uh ..." Luke realized he'd inadvertently hinted at his father's importance once again. "I meant I could _imagine_ what you mean."

He stayed silent for a while, half-listening to the music. Maybe Ben was right and it was time he told Leia the truth. She knew him well enough now that it shouldn't matter that she didn't like his father. Maybe he should start working towards it.

Leia sighed, happily. "Thanks for inviting me tonight, Luke. I'm having a great time. I can't remember the last time I went to a party that didn't have the galaxy's most notorious tyrants in attendance."

Luke looked away, realizing now definitely wasn't the time to mention his father.

"I'm glad you're here," he said.

"You don't know how much I needed to take my mind off my job, if only for a few hours."

"Why," Luke said, looking into her warm brown eyes. It felt so comfortable, like he could stare at her all day without needing to look away. "What's happening?"

"Something. Something that might change everything ... for the worse."

"What is it?"

"Can I trust you, Luke?" Leia asked, as they moved away from another couple. "I mean, really trust you?"

"Completely," Luke said.

"Then try imagining this. A battle station, capable of destroying an entire planet in a single blast."

Luke smirked. "That's impossible."

"Is it?"

"Sure. The energy required to power that kind of blast ... the battle station would have to be as large as a moon."

"Exactly."

"Are you saying this really exists?" Luke asked, disbelieving.

"Yes. The Empire has been building this for years. Palpatine arranged for its construction even before he'd declared himself Emperor."

"Then why haven't I heard about it before?"

"It's top secret. At least, it is now."

"If it's top secret, then how did you get to hear about it?"

"I have contacts," Leia said, vaguely.

"But why would the Emperor want to blow up planets?" Luke asked. "He'd be the Emperor of empty space."

"Fear. He wouldn't even have to actually do it ... just the knowledge that the Empire held that kind of power would keep the populace living in fear. Fear means control. But believe me, he would do it. He'd destroy any planet that resisted his rule."

Luke felt his guts twist with the memories he'd tried hard to forget. Unimaginable pain. The feeling of terror as he stared up at the vile inhuman creature who claimed to own his father. Who wanted to own him too.

"Let's change the subject," he said, tightly.

Immediately, Luke realized this was the wrong thing to say. She let him go and shook her head. "Oh, Luke. I wish I could just change the subject and forget about it. But too many are suffering under the Emperor's rule. Many more will suffer if this battle station becomes operational. If we all just change the subject, what then?"

"But if it is true, then what can people like you and me do about it?" Luke said. "Protest outside the Senate and get arrested? Join the Rebellion and start planting bombs and killing Imperial soldiers? I can't see how that will fix anything."

Leia looked distant then, and Luke kept watching her face, hoping she might actually have a good answer for him. He wished there was one. But then someone appeared beside him, and he felt fingers enclose around his right hand. He turned, already sensing it was Armith.

"Hi," he said. "You look beautiful! Uh … Armith, this is … Princess Leia Organa."

Leia's serious expression vanished, and she greeted Armith warmly. Luke had to admire how easily she could hide her feelings, as there were times when he felt like an open book to the entire universe.

"Will you come for a walk in the gardens with me?" Armith asked, turning back to Luke.

"Sure, um …" he glanced at Leia, who just nodded and smiled at him. "I'll make sure Ben gets to dance with this snobby Grand Moff's daughter."

"Thanks."

As they walked away from the dance floor, Luke felt the need to explain. "She's a friend … she's here with Ben."

"Oh, sure," Armith said, sounding disinterested.

In the domed garden, they passed several couples that made Luke look away in embarrassment. Hopefully that wasn't why Armith wanted to come here, as he really wasn't in the mood, not after the discussion he'd just had with Leia. Finally, they found an unoccupied area at the end of a gravel path, and Armith sat down on a bench.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, sensing something wasn't quite right. She wasn't looking at him. He sat down on the bench beside her.

"Luke, we can't be a couple anymore."

"What?" Luke blinked in disbelief. "Why?"

She was silent, and Luke suddenly realized the answer to his own question.

"Listen, you don't have to have anything to do with my father if you don't want to ... I'm _not_ my father!"

"I know," she said, "it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"We had fun, but ... I didn't mean for this to be long term. You're a really nice guy, and I don't want to hurt you."

Luke was silent, staring blankly into the trees. _Too late_ , he thought.

"Look, I'll be honest," she said, almost as if she heard his thought. "Ophelia was always being a pain about my boyfriends, always making out hers were so much better, and mine were not worthy. I wanted to make her jealous, by dating someone who was even more important than she was."

"You were dating me to make Ophelia jealous?!" Luke said, shocked.

"But it didn't work," Armith explained. "She started going on about how I was taking advantage of your innocence, and dating you was the lowest thing I'd ever done, like she's some crusader for truth and justice. Then your father caught us, and ... it was obvious he thought the same thing. Ophelia said he'd probably hunt me down and strangle me if he ever saw me with you again."

Luke was silent, still trying to make sense of all this.

"So it's best that we just leave it here," she said, fingering her bracelet. "But you know ... we can still be friends."

"Sure," Luke said, flatly.

She started to walk away, but Luke looked up.

"Can I just know one thing? Did any of it mean anything to you? Or was it all just ... fun?"

She shrugged. "As I said, you're a nice guy ... the nicest guy I've ever dated. You deserve someone better than me."

She disappeared into the shadows cast by the trees, leaving Luke alone.

* * *

Luke couldn't bring himself to face Ben and Leia after what had happened. He withdrew to the MX speeder's pilot seat and turned up the tint on the windows. He felt so ... worthless. His relationship with Armith had meant so much to him. It lifted him out of the despair he could have so easily fallen into after the Emperor's attack. It made his life seem normal all of a sudden. And now, it was over. Just like that.

It was hard to be angry with her. He was the one who had invested so much into this in a short amount of time. He'd never stopped to think that maybe she didn't feel the same way.

When Ben and Leia finally came looking for him, he braced himself to deny everything. He knew he wouldn't be able to explain all this without breaking down into tears. That was too embarrassing to contemplate.

Leia entered the speeder first, followed by Ben.

"Are you okay?" she asked, immediately.

"We're ready to go home when you are," Ben said, simply.

They already knew. As if the entire thing wasn't embarrassing enough, now it was the hottest gossip of the night.

"You can stay if you want to," Luke said.

"I'm getting a little tired," Leia said, "and I've got an early meeting tomorrow."

"Yeah, we should leave before the speeches start," Ben said.

Luke started up the speeder's engine, silently thanking the Force that he could always count on his friends. His bed was where he wanted to be right now, and he didn't know if he was ever going to leave it again.

There was silence in the back seat of the speeder. Luke glanced in the mirror as they joined a traffic lane. They were both looking out the windows. Stars, even they were embarrassed.

"Are you dropping me off first?" Ben asked, eventually.

Luke glanced down at the cityscape, and realized he'd missed the turnoff for Leia's residence.

"Yes," he said, simply.

When they landed at Ben's apartment, Leia climbed out as well. Luke watched them through the window as Leia said goodnight to Ben. She said something to make him laugh, and Luke rolled his eyes, feeling cynical. Finally, his friend left, and Leia returned. She climbed into the passenger seat beside him.

Luke took off immediately. They were halfway to Leia's apartment when she finally said something.

"I'm really sorry about what happened. I wanted to find her and hurt her, but Ben talked me out of it."

"I suppose everyone was talking about it," Luke said, struggling to keep his anger out of his voice.

"No. Ophelia told Ben while she was dancing with him. No one else knew."

"It's my fault," Luke said, finally. "How could I be so stupid?!"

"How was it your fault?"

"I rushed into it. I didn't stop to think about whether she was really serious. I was just so desperate to have a normal life."

"Did she ever give you reason to think that she wasn't?"

"Maybe she did, and I just didn't know," Luke said, sighing. "I don't have a lot of experience with relationships, in case you can't tell."

"I have had several relationships," Leia said. "Some longer than others. But I've never come across the kind of person who breaks up with someone at a ball that they asked them to in the first place. That's really low."

When he brought the speeder to rest on the landing pad, he turned and met Leia's gaze. Once again, he felt the strength of the connection between them. What did it mean? Was Leia Force sensitive?

"I had a great time," she said, finally. "I'm sorry that you didn't."

"You made it a lot better than it would have otherwise been," Luke said.

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

Vader knew he should be spending the evening in quiet meditation in the peace of his oxygen chamber. Instead, he was throwing dueling droids against the wall of the training room, and thinking about his son. He had to start planning how he was going to train this boy. A boy who was still a child in some ways, and acted like it in many more.

Anakin Skywalker had trained Jedi, but those methods would not prepare Luke to survive in a galaxy ruled by the Sith. Darth Vader had trained Inquisitors, but such brutal methods of breaking former Jedi and turning them into obedient servants was not what he desired for his son either. Luke should be trained to rule, not to serve. A more calculated approach was needed.

It was tempting to concentrate mostly on teaching Luke to duel with a lightsaber, as he was certain he would encounter little resistance to the idea. His son did like to be active, as did his father, and mastering the art would enhance his connection to the Force quickly. But he also needed to be sure he didn't neglect to teach the mental discipline required to truly be one with the Force. In other words, all the things that his former self considered boring when he was Luke's age.

But perhaps he was getting too far ahead of himself. Luke had been doing a remarkable job of avoiding him since the whole incident in the library. It was times like this that Vader fully appreciated why parenting was usually a two-person job. It was too painful to even imagine what Padmé might suggest he do to fix the situation, so he did his best to avoid the temptation.

It was well into the evening when he finally switched off his lightsaber and returned upstairs. Threepio had said Luke's graduation ball finished at midnight, so it was a surprise to sense his son's presence in the immediate vicinity. He followed that sense to the balcony, just down the hall from his son's bedroom.

The sight of Luke's deflated posture, half-slumped against the railing, caused him to immediately reach out over their bond, seeking further knowledge Luke started slightly, clearly having been too preoccupied with his thoughts to be aware of his arrival. He immediately attempted to close off their link and shield his feelings.

"You are home early," Vader observed. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Luke said, in a tone like he was barely restraining his temper. "I want to be alone."

Vader turned to leave, but he paused as he began to walk away. His son's emotional pain was hurting him as well, a sure sign that it must be overwhelming Luke. The temptation to put some distance between them was great, but as always, parental duties must come before such desires.

When he turned back, Luke frowned, and turned away. "You're still here."

Perhaps he was wrong about forgoing the brutal training program he'd designed to break new Inquisitors. It might teach his son some respect.

"Yes. I will remain here until you explain your feelings. If you wish to be left alone, I suggest you do so quickly."

Luke sighed. "I'm too tired to argue with you tonight."

"Then don't."

Luke remained stubbornly silent.

"Perhaps I should attempt to guess," Vader said, coming closer. "Your insistence on rejecting your destiny and living a supposed normal life isn't working out for you?"

Luke finally turned and glared at him. "I was just dumped at the graduation ball. Yes, you can throw your victory party now."

Vader felt a rush of anger at the words. Visions of hunting the girl down and making an example filled his mind. How dare anyone even think they could treat his son with such disrespect. He should have put a stop to this as soon as he had seen those flowers.

Luke was already raising his hands, eyes wide. "Calm down. It was partly my fault. And actually mostly your fault, because of exactly _this_."

"I will no longer allow anyone to pursue you in that manner without thorough vetting and my prior approval," Vader said, causing Luke to roll his eyes.

"Don't worry, no one else will be volunteering anytime soon. Probably ever."

"That is for the best," Vader said. "Relationships are dangerous and lead to pain and suffering."

"So you regret your relationship with my mother?"

Vader was silent, looking out over the city. He had walked right into that one.

"I only regret my weakness," he said quietly.

Luke appeared about to ask further questions, so Vader quickly changed the subject.

"You have more important matters to think about. I had intended for us to leave for Mustafar tomorrow, but a high-ranking Rebel defector has been captured, and I want to be present for the initial interrogation."

Luke slumped again. "Mustafar? Really?"

"Yes. It is an ideal place for your training."

"When did I agree to this? It's the summer break. Can't I have a month off to relax? A lot of my classmates are taking an entire gap year."

"I know all about what you consider _relaxing_ on Coruscant during its non-existent summer."

"Come on! If we have to go, can we at least go somewhere that actually has some trees and grass? Maybe even a beach? The kind of place where Ben and his father go camping."

Vader turned to look at him. "Camping."

"You know. The type of thing a regular father and son might do to celebrate graduating high school and passing all my exams despite losing a week after getting injured by your tyrannical boss."

Vader breathed for a few cycles, reminding himself of some advice Luke's doctor had provided once. Never parent from a place of guilt. Then he said, "You may sleep in tomorrow. That is all the relaxation you require. Then you will meet with Colonel Yularen at 11-hundred. He will give you a tour of the Imperial Security Bureau and talk to you about some of the work they do."

Luke grumbled under his breath, but then he nodded. His son had met Yularen before and the man was always nice to him, so Vader hadn't expected any objection. His son stifled a yawn, and then turned to go back inside. Vader reached out to stop him.

"I appreciate that your life isn't easy."

"Sure," Luke mumbled. He looked down, and then glanced up. "Thanks for remembering about that wedding gift, by the way. Maybe I sometimes forget to appreciate you." He shrugged. "Night."

Vader looked after him, feeling their bond return to a peaceful state. Sometimes, in rare moments of optimism, he felt closer than ever to mastering this elusive art of parenting.

* * *


	12. Paint Bombing

Luke woke the following morning to the sound of gentle beeping. He opened one eye, and found Artoo had rolled up to the side of the bed. He was carrying some breakfast on a tray.

"Oh, thanks, Artoo," Luke said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He dragged the tray over, and looked down, seeing a large pancake. Perfectly round, like a planet.

In all his regret and embarrassment after his conversation with Armith, thoughts of Leia's worries about the rumoured planet-destroying battle station had fallen by the wayside. If they hadn't, perhaps he could have asked his father last night. But now, in the clear light of morning, that didn't seem like such a good idea.

After a couple of mouthfuls of breakfast, he glanced at his droid.

"Hey, Artoo. If I somehow got you into ISB, do you think you could slice into their computer systems?"

Artoo responded with a questioning beep.

"Just something Leia told me. She thinks the Empire is building a battle station that can destroy planets." It sounded even crazier when he said it aloud. Artoo was quiet for a moment, and then made a series of whistles that needed no translation.

"I know, it sounds terrible," Luke agreed. "I'm hoping it isn't true, but this is the Emperor we're talking about. It sounds like exactly the sort of thing he'd go for." He glanced at the time, and hastily gulped down his milk. It was after ten already. No wonder Artoo had woken him up.

"Stay here," Luke said, pushing off his sheets. "I'll figure out a good story for getting you past security while I have a shower."

As it turned out, the somewhat detailed and elaborate story he'd carefully thought out wasn't required. As soon as he came through the doors, the protocol droids at the reception desk stood up to welcome him and led the way through into some VIP lounge where there were refreshments laid out on a tray. No one even asked about Artoo.

Colonel Yularen arrived a minute later, and he greeted him warmly as he shook his hand, commenting on how much he'd grown. Then he glanced at Artoo and did a double take.

"My goodness! That droid still around?"

Artoo made a few whistles, and Luke raised an eyebrow. "You've met Artoo before?"

"I'm not certain it was that exact droid, but your father used to own one just like it," Colonel Yularen said, gesturing for him to walk beside him as they left the lounge doors. "Followed him everywhere. But … let's not discuss the past. I understand you're here to learn all about what we do here at the Imperial Security Bureau."

Much like his father, Colonel Yularen always changed the subject when the Clone Wars came up. There was more than one senior officer who had clearly worked with his father back then, and could easily make the connection when they saw Luke. But much like his father, they showed no willingness to share stories from the past.

The tour itself was interesting enough, and Luke was curious to learn about all the work they did to identify and monitor Rebel cells on worlds from the Outer Rim to the Core. It was becoming increasingly clear to Luke the Rebel movement was far bigger and more organized than the official news networks ever let on. One galactic map showed at least twenty active Rebel cells on one mid-rim world alone.

"You may wonder why these groups haven't been eliminated when we are clearly well aware of their existence," Colonel Yularn said, gesturing with a pointer. "Not all battles are waged with Star Destroyers. We have agents embedded in most of these groups, constantly feeding us information. We have more to gain by leaving them in place for the moment."

Luke nodded, while glancing at Artoo in his peripheral vision. They were currently standing in a main control centre, and the droid had plugged into the computer system at Luke's signal. Now he just had to keep the colonel distracted with questions until Artoo was done.

"Do you think it's the same for the Rebels?" Luke asked. "Do they have Rebel spies working for the Empire?"

"Oh, yes. There are even some senators we have strong suspicions about. Unfortunately, they are protected by their popularity. For the moment, at least."

"Senators. Really," Luke said, taking another nervous glance at Artoo.

"Come now. I'll take you through to the fleet command centre where you can learn more about our current work on Quasher."

Luke cringed at the name. But when he glanced over again, Artoo had finally disconnected.

"I'm right behind you," Luke said, patting Artoo's dome as the droid rolled up beside him.

* * *

The most difficult part was waiting until they were in the privacy of his own workroom in the hangar bay to discover exactly what Artoo had found. The droid seemed pleased with himself, which was always a good sign. Luke perched himself on a high stool as Artoo plugged himself into the projector, leaning back against the bench.

His eyes widened when the projector lit up with a hologram of a rotating red sphere. As it turned around, Luke could see a giant eye-like depression at the top.

"What is it?"

Artoo whistled and beeped, and text appeared on the neighbouring monitor.

_It's called_ ' _Project Stardust_ '.

"Stardust? Well … that doesn't sound so bad at least. How big is it?"

Artoo switched the image, and it showed the object in scale next to a Star Destroyer. Then more text appeared on the screen.

_It is mostly described as a battle station. But there is one small note in a technical document that mentions a superweapon and a laser._

"A superweapon?" A cold feeling settled in his stomach. Leia was right. Some small part of him hoped it wasn't nearly as bad as she imagined, but the more he stared at it, the more ominous it seemed.

The sound of footsteps outside the room caused him to hastily raise a hand. "Turn it off!"

The projector turned black, but it was only Threepio that appeared in the doorway. Luke sighed with relief. Just the thought of his father's reaction if he discovered he and Artoo had stolen information on a secret project from ISB. Somehow, he didn't think being grounded for a week would cover it.

Threepio looked between Artoo and Luke, and then said, "I do hope there is nothing I should be worrying about."

"Of course not, Threepio," Luke said, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. "You relax. Have an oil bath. I'm going to take the speeder bike out and visit Ben."

Artoo made a low whistle, and then a chuckle, which caused Luke to point at him in warning.

"You look after that information, okay?"

He whistled in agreement.

* * *

Ben was only too happy to visit the Speedsters, admitting he didn't know what to do with himself now they no longer had to study. Soon the two of them were rushing towards the underground outskirts of Imperial City. The _Bloodfin_ was humming like a finely tuned musical instrument, and the gears changed with barely a hint of friction. It was hard to believe this machine was older than he was.

"I wonder if they'll remember us?" Ben asked, as they pulled up outside Brock's cantina.

"Of course!" Luke shut down the engine.

The cantina seemed to have taken a turn for the better since they'd last been there. The tables were cleaner, there were more lights, and they even had a band now. The Speedsters were sitting in their usual booth, and Pike was the first to spot them. He waved at Luke enthusiastically.

"Luke! Where have ya been, bud?"

"Busy," Luke said, walking up. "It's good to be back."

The other Speedsters shifted aside to make room for him. There was respect in their eyes now, something that had definitely not been there before.

"Where were you for last month's race?" Fushna asked. "Everyone was asking us about you. You're a legend."

Pike grinned. "Yeah. They say you came from nowhere, and no one knows your name, then you disappeared back into nowhere."

"Sounds about right," Ben mumbled.

"It's not easy for me to come here at night anymore," Luke explained. "But I'd like to race now, just for fun. Are you up for it?"

"Maybe later," Pike said. "Right now, we're plotting revenge."

"Against your barber?" Ben enquired.

Fushna sniggered at the joke, but Pike frowned in annoyance.

"No. Against the Novas. Naft sabotaged my engines in last month's race. I barely jumped off the bike before the entire thing was blown to smithereens."

"How do you know it was him?" Ben asked.

"We've got paint-bombs, toilet paper, and the coordinates of Naft's house," Pike said, ignoring Ben. "You in?"

"Of course!" Luke said, grinning.

"Great, we leave in two."

"Where does Naft live?" Ben asked.

"In some snobby lifestyle area just out of Imperial City. He lives in his parent's garage."

"Don't you think his parents will call the troopers if you show up at his house?"

"His parents are on vacation. Naft works at a warehouse until fifteen-hundred. When he comes home, the paint will still be wet."

The rest of them laughed, but Luke could tell Ben wasn't happy.

"I'll meet you outside," Luke said, standing up.

Ben followed. As soon as they returned to fresh air, he began protesting.

"You're not seriously thinking of going, are you?"

"It's just a prank," Luke said. "Besides, Naft is a nerf herder."

"But vandalizing his house?"

"We're not breaking anything. It's just toilet paper and paint-bombs. The paint disintegrates in a few hours. It's far less than what he did to Pike."

"Ask yourself this," Ben said. "What would your father say if he knew you were thinking of doing this?"

"If I asked myself that, I'd never do _anything_. You don't have to come. You can stay here—I'll pick you up after we come back. It will probably only take ten minutes."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ben said, nervously.

"That's why I want to do this!" Luke said, smirking. "It's been too long since I've done anything crazy! Besides, this might be my last chance to do something like this."

"Why?"

Luke hesitated. He hadn't yet told Ben about his father's insistence on taking him to Mustafar for training.

Pike and the other Speedsters wandered out of the cantina then, and walked determinedly in the direction of their speeder bikes.

"I'll explain later," Luke said, jumping on the _Bloodfin_. "Wait here."

At full speed, it only took five minutes through the service tunnels to reach the coordinates on Pike's wayfinder. They stopped in a park, just around the corner from Naft's house. Pike distributed the paint bombs, and Luke filled his pockets with the gray, egg-shaped objects. It was a quiet neighborhood, built on top of older apartment buildings to give the appearance of a suburb. Every house appeared to have been designed by an artist.

Luke had to admit he was surprised to find that Naft lived in such an affluent area. He'd half imagined the Speedsters lived in the alley beside Brock's cantina. But then, when he considered where he lived, it was silly to be surprised. For all he knew, he wasn't the only person keeping quiet about their famous ancestry.

"I'm going first," Pike said, after passing out the last of the toilet paper. "Yilu, you next. We'll be standing by with the paper. After the rest of you pass by and throw the bombs, we'll throw the paper, then we all get the hell out of there before the neighbors call the bucket-heads. Understood?"

Everyone mumbled agreement and revved up the engines. When Pike gave the signal, they roared around the corner and streaked towards the unsuspecting building. Ahead of him, Luke saw Pike accelerate, throwing a paint bomb at a window as he swept past. He then turned his bike around, and waited ready with the toilet paper.

Then Luke spied a giant statue of the Emperor mounted on a pedestal inside the front gate. A wave of anger caused him to brake, and he unloaded all his paint bombs on that, grinning as the statue became a mass of dripping colors. If only he could do the same thing to the numerous statues that stood in Imperial City.

"Hey, give me some of that," he said, driving up beside Pike. He took a roll of toilet paper, and then headed back towards the statue, dodging Won on the way. He could hear the others yelling that it was time to leave, so he threw the toilet paper wildly towards the statue. It unravelled in midair, and draped itself squarely over the statue's head.

Luke whooped with pleasure and turned the _Bloodfin_ through three-sixty degrees—straight into an oncoming stormtrooper speeder patrol.

Luke's reaction time was extended by several seconds as he stared, not believing his eyes. Someone had tipped Naft off. He wrenched the steering controls, but it was too late. The bike went into a hopeless spin, eventually tipping him off. He fell hard on the ground, and his head bounced inside his helmet. In a second, he felt rough hands haul him to his feet, twisting his arms around and snapping on binders.

"You vandalizing scum," came the electronic voice.

* * *

Being arrested was an unfortunately familiar experience for Luke, and it always followed the same predictable pattern. Rudeness, rough treatment, being pushed into an armoured speeder, often with a blaster barrel against his back. Then shock and confusion once they had a look at his official record, which Lev had turned into some kind of priority one fire alarm of warnings and demands to contact the Imperial Palace immediately. Then, the inevitable lecture and punishment from his father when he learned of his latest adventure.

He glanced at his companions, wondering what Pike, Won and Yilu would think when the inevitable moment came. Fushna had somehow managed to evade the street patrol, and he could only hope she'd gone back to tell Ben what had happened. At least his friend would know he was unlikely to be mistreated in custody.

The processing centre they were taken to was crowded, and it was a good half hour before they were finally escorted into a room and subjected to bio-scanning. The only furniture was a black durasteel table, on which sat a computer terminal. An officer sat behind it, glaring impatiently as they came in.

When the last stormtrooper entered, he turned around and shut the door.

"Put them one by one in front of the beam," the officer snapped. "Hurry up!"

Luke watched as a stormtrooper pushed Yilu in front of the computer's scanners. The officer said nothing, and waved his hand for the next one. He remained silent until they got to Pike, at which point he whistled.

"That one's got a record as long as the Kessel Run. Good work, sergeant. They'll be rewards for bringing him in. Is that all of them?"

The stormtrooper turned, glancing at the group. "One more, sir."

He grabbed Luke's forearm, pushing him into the beam. Luke looked down, just waiting for the reaction.

"Kriffin hell!"

"Sir?"

"Run him through again!"

Luke was unceremoniously pushed through the scanner again.

"What is this!?" the officer said, glaring at Luke. "Who are you?"

Luke considered how to reply, but then a stormtrooper grabbed him, pushing his blaster into his back. "Answer the question!"

"No, don't touch him," the officer said, waving a hand frantically. "Whatever you do, don't hurt him! His ID is VIP classified. The instructions are to contact the Imperial Palace."

Abruptly, the trooper removed his hands from Luke and stepped back. There was an audible intake of breath among the Speedsters. Luke looked at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow him.

No one spoke for a few seconds, and then Pike stepped forward, his expression a mixture of concern and amusement. "Are you someone important?"

"No," Luke said. "But my father is."

"Who is he?"

Luke glanced at the officer, and then decided he might as well get it over with.

"Lord Vader."

Pike's reaction was the exact opposite of the officer's. "Wow!"

Luke glanced at the other Speedsters, who were all grinning.

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Won said.

Luke shrugged, looking down.

"Sir?" the trooper said, sounding unsure.

Everyone looked back at the officer, who still appeared dazed.

"Uh," he said. "I suppose, under the circumstances, we'll take off his binders. But the rest of you—"

Luke was struck by an idea. "You'll let them go too," Luke said.

The officer stared at him, warily.

"Or I'll tell my father about how badly I was treated," Luke said.

The officer glanced between them, a couple of times, then waved his hand.

"Fine, show them out. Quickly."

The Speedsters looked disbelieving as the troopers moved towards them, releasing them from the binders. Luke shook his off gratefully.

"Thanks Luke, we owe you," Pike said.

A stormtrooper opened the doors, and the Speedsters quickly moved towards their freedom. Luke started to follow them, but the officer stopped him. "No, no, no. You're staying here. Where you're safe. Someone will take you back home. You shouldn't be in the company of that street scum."

"No, I'll be going now," Luke said.

He tried to leave again, but was immediately blocked by the troopers.

"It's not safe out there," the officer said, fearfully. "If anything happened to you, and your father found out you were here ..."

"Let me go, and I'll forget about this whole thing," Luke said, desperately. "I swear. I'll go back to Imperial City and I won't breathe a word about any of this."

The officer stared from Luke to the troopers, thinking. Luke thought he almost had him, until a sudden clatter interrupted them. Another officer entered the room.

"Lieutenant Haxel! Why did I just see street scum being released? We only have another two days to meet our quotas!"

"Sir, we have a delicate situation—"

"Delicate situation!? I'll give you a delicate situation!"

Luke stared from one officer to the other, wondering if he could make a break for it while they were arguing. Unfortunately, the stormtroopers weren't at all distracted by the officers' bickering. It was obviously a common occurrence.

"Sir, this boy is Lord Vader's son. He was accidentally brought in with the others."

The senior officer was surprised into momentary silence. He stared at Luke suspiciously.

"Him?"

"Yes sir. His identification is VIP classified."

"His identification!" the officer waved his hand dismissively. "These criminal scum fake their ID records all the time. Lord Vader's son ... what a load of ... look at the kid! I'll bet my bonus that his parents were street rats."

Lieutenant Haxel looked Luke up and down, beginning to look skeptical. "Perhaps I should contact the palace, just to be certain."

"No, I have a better idea," the senior officer said, grinning at Luke in a smug way. "Lord Vader's son? I think we should return him straight to his _father_."

He clearly expected to receive a loud protest, but Luke rolled his eyes, giving up. Anything to get out of here.

The officer picked up his comlink, and keyed in a number. Luke listened to the one-sided conversation.

"Hello, Imperial City ground command? I need a location on Lord Vader, authorization code 847-36-R7. Yes. This is Chief Prong, commander of District 4362 Prison Center. We have a new acquisition here who might be of interest to Lord Vader. Yes. Oh no, I'm sure he's not too busy for this. All right. I'll send him over with some troopers. Prong out."

He shut off the comlink, and gave Luke another cold grin. "Well, boy, you're going to be wishing you didn't fake that ID very soon. Troopers, take a speeder, and escort him to the high security detention center in the federal district. Explain the situation to Lord Vader."

* * *

The journey to the palace was far more comfortable than the journey to the prison center, but Luke still would have preferred to be on the _Bloodfin_ right now. He was wedged between the two troopers in the back seat of a utility speeder, piloted by a droid.

"Listen guys," he said, suddenly. "You probably want to get home right? Why don't you just drop me off at the palace, and tell that Chief whatsisname you took me to Lord Vader."

"We do not disobey orders," the one on his left said.

"Never?" Luke asked.

"Never."

"Your lives must be boring."

"We are loyal servants of the Emperor."

"My point exactly," Luke mumbled.

The detention center loomed large in front of them, and the trooper brought the speeder to a halt while he transmitted the security code. It was an ominous black building, and his father had always seemed to spend a lot of time there, but he'd never suggested he should come for a guided tour.

"Are you really Lord Vader's son?" the trooper on his right asked.

"I have already said yes."

There was silence for a short while.

"Really?" the one on the left asked.

Luke sighed.

"Because otherwise we'll be dragging your body out of here."

Luke didn't reply. The trooper parked the speeder on a crammed landing pad and opened the doors. They didn't drag him out of the speeder, but kept a close eye on him until they entered the confines of the elevator. Halfway down, someone else tried to enter the elevator, but a trooper waved him on with the butt of his blaster.

When the doors opened on their destination, one of the troopers gave him a gentle push, to indicate he should exit first. They were in a large room full of guards and cameras. At the far end, there were several heavy black security doors.

The guards stared at them as they walked towards the doors. Luke bowed his head in embarrassment. They probably thought he was a criminal.

Once they reached the doors, the troopers had to go through identity checks, and they all underwent a security scan. Then the door was released, and they walked through into a dull grey corridor that led to a control room. Several corridors branched away from the control center, housing rows and rows of cells. Muffled moans and screams could be heard in the distance, and Luke cringed. This place was like an old-fashioned dungeon.

An officer approached the troopers, staring at Luke curiously.

"State your purpose," he said.

"Sir, we are here to deliver this boy to Lord Vader, under the order of Chief Prong."

"Lord Vader is busy with a prisoner. He is not to be disturbed."

"Then we will wait here until he is no longer busy."

"Who is this boy?" the officer asked, staring at Luke. "Is he a Rebel? Why is he not bound?"

"We are not at liberty to say," the trooper on the right said.

The officer stared at Luke a moment longer and then waved a hand. "Very well. Wait here. He should be finished soon."

_Please hurry_ , Luke silently begged his father. The agonized screaming was growing louder, but it didn't seem to be bothering anyone but him. He felt sick, wondering what was happening to whoever it was screaming down there. And to think he'd thought the choking was bad.

His father immediately responded to the call. In the distance, a cell door opened, and the troopers stood straighter. Luke sighed with relief.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the control room techs suddenly started acting busier. When his father strode into the room, the officer stepped up to speak to him, but he was completely ignored.

Luke kept his mouth shut as his father came to stand in front of him. This wasn't the time for any happy greetings. He spared him a single glance, and then looked at the troopers.

"What happened?!" he asked, still in an interrogation voice.

"Sir, Chief Prong of District 4362 Prison Center ordered us to bring this boy to you."

A particularly agonized scream drifted down the corridor from where his father had come. It then abruptly cut off, and a cold silence followed.

His father glanced in the direction of the sound, and then turned back. "Take him to level five. I will meet you there in twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

The troopers turned to leave, and Luke gladly followed them. Even the air in this place felt cold. It was a relief to make it back to the elevator.

Unfortunately, it was even more crowded on the fifth floor than it had been in the detention block, and Luke felt his embarrassment returning. This was clearly the floor that linked to the corridors joining the Imperial Palace and all the neighboring government administration buildings. There were important-looking people walking past on their way to who knows where, and every single one stopped to stare at him and the troopers. One of them even asked if he had representation, whatever that meant, to which the trooper told him to mind his own business.

He tried to tell himself he would never see any of these people again, but it didn't help.

"Could we wait somewhere a little less obvious?" Luke asked, finally. They were standing right next to a giant glass statue of the Emperor.

"We will wait where we were instructed to wait," a trooper replied.

"People are staring. And could you stop waving your blasters around? You're scaring everyone. They think I'm a dangerous criminal!" Luke said.

"I missed the part where Lord Vader told us to take orders from you."

Luke sighed. It was a long twenty minutes. He was relieved when his father stepped out of the adjacent elevator, despite the fact that his presence attracted even more attention, and he was probably going to be lectured very shortly. The troopers stood to attention and lowered their blasters.

He gave Luke another glance, and then addressed the troopers. "Now, explain to me how my son came to be at a prison center."

The trooper at Luke's left spoke up. "Sir, we found him in the company of some street scum, who were vandalizing a—"

"Let _me_ explain!" Luke protested, realizing they were about to present an uncensored version of his afternoon's escapades.

"Silence!" his father said, pointing at him. "I will hear your version after I have heard the truth."

"But—"

"—vandalizing the residence of a notable millionaire. He was throwing paint at a statue of his royal high—"

"Lord Vader!"

The trooper was bluntly cut off, and the four of them turned to stare at the newcomer. Luke buried his face in his hands as he recognized Leia. Of all the people to walk past—the Force had a grudge against him, he was sure of it.

She strode up to the group, brown eyes flashing angrily. "I didn't think that even _you_ could sink this low. Bullying innocent civilians in public now, are we? You _disgust_ me."

"Leia!" Luke said quickly. "It's not like that, it's—"

"I demand that you let him go!" Leia said, giving his father a look that made Luke draw back in fear. "This is illegal! Wait until the Senate hears about this ... another example of your blatant disregard for the right of legal representation!"

His father breathed calmly for a few cycles, and then spoke in a slightly amused tone. "You are misinterpreting this situation, your highness."

"Misinterpreting?! Oh, so he isn't your prisoner? The stormtroopers are here for decoration, I take it?"

One of the troopers had raised a blaster at this point, but his father lifted his hand, signalling him to lower it.

"Wait, I've got it," Leia said, snapping her fingers. "This is part of your new PR campaign. Getting to know the people? Where's the media?" She made a point of staring around.

"Leia!" Luke tried again. "It's okay. It's not like that! Please, I can handle it!"

"What has he been accused of?" Leia demanded. "This is ridiculous! He's no more a Rebel than you are, your lordship. He's innocent!"

"His innocence is very much in doubt," his father said, meeting Luke's pleading gaze.

"Don't just accept this, Luke," Leia said, firmly. "Don't let him intimidate you! He has no right to question you without a lawyer present, no matter what you've been accused of doing."

Luke sent a silent, desperate plea to his father not to say anything, but it fell on unsympathetic ears.

"So. Luke still has not told you that he is my son."

Leia snapped her head around towards his father, finger still pointed at Luke. "Your ... your _what?!_ "

"Son," he repeated. "I am Luke's father."

She turned back to Luke, with a look in her eyes he had never seen there before. Betrayal ...

"Leia, I'm so sorry," he started. "I wanted to tell you, but I thought you'd hate me." He couldn't stand the hurt in her eyes any longer, and dropped his gaze.

"I think an apology is in order, your highness," his father said, still sounding calm. "For your unwarranted accusations."

"Oh, I'm sorry all right," Leia said. "Sorry hell ever rejected you and inflicted you on us!"

She turned and stalked away, sending bystanders scattering. His father stared after her.

"I really should have her arrested," he said, casually.

"Don't you dare!" Luke protested. "She's my friend!"

His father turned back. "You are in no position to be making demands, young one."

Luke stared at his boots, subdued.

His father addressed the troopers. "Go. Tell your superior to send me a report."

"Yes, sir."

The stormtroopers clattered away, and his father reached out to grip him by the shoulder. He guided him towards the nearby transit corridor, and didn't release him until they were walking back towards the Imperial Palace. They traveled in silence, something for which Luke was grateful. He didn't feel like being lectured. All he could think about was Leia's sad eyes. He could only imagine what she must be thinking right now.

Maybe he could try talking to her father. He would understand. Or maybe he could send Ben to talk to her. He had to do _something_. The thought of never seeing her again ...

He glanced up at his father, wondering just what it was that made Leia hate him so much. He supposed there were plenty of things to choose from, but his father wasn't all brutal violence and intimidation. Or maybe he was kidding himself. Maybe he'd been kidding himself all along that he was so different from his father that Leia wouldn't care about their relationship.

By the time they'd passed through the security checkpoint, and had entered the relative privacy of the palace, Luke began to feel uneasy. It normally didn't take this long.

"Well?" he said, finally. "Are you going to get it over with?"

"What 'it' are you referring to?" his father inquired, glancing down.

He sounded suspiciously calm. "The lecture," Luke prompted. "Your behavior is reckless and foolish?"

There was no response. His father merely pushed a button to summon an elevator. Finally, he said, "Clearly you are already aware of my opinion. I suspect you are trying to send me a message. Did you actually attend your meeting at ISB?"

The elevator arrived, and Luke nodded as they entered. "I went for the tour with Colonel Yularen."

"And then? You were bored?"

Luke sighed. "I was just … enjoying some freedom before you insist we go to Mustafar. I didn't plan to get arrested."

"Planning would require maturity."

"Okay, fine," Luke said, having an idea. "You're right. Clearly I am too immature for this training thing you have planned. Does this mean I can have the summer off?"

"You didn't last a day before being arrested," his father said, finally sounding more typical. "We are leaving Coruscant tonight. You can spend the remaining time preparing a ship and packing."

"Packing what? I have everything I need in my room on Mustafar."

"We are not going there. I have considered your request for a place more suited to your disposition, and I believe the ancient Sith retreat on Lygun will suffice."

The elevator doors slid open, and his father stepped out into the ship hangar, gesturing for him to follow.

"Lygun? Where's that?"

"You will find out when we get there."

"How long will we stay?"

"That depends on how much progress you make. But prepare for a month. The kitchen droids will be able to assist with your food requirements. "

"A month?" Luke glanced up. "Are you sure we can survive each other's company, alone for a month?"

"That will remain to be seen." He stopped beside one of the bigger ships, called the _Laguna Cave_. "We will take this one. It will require a full maintenance check and—" He broke off at the sound of a speeder bike engine. A short distance away, the _Bloodfin_ emerged from the service elevator, being driven at a careful speed by Ben.

Luke grinned with relief. "You found it! Thanks, buddy!"

Ben's expression became fearful at the sight of the resident Sith Lord, and immediately brought the bike to a halt. His father strode over, gesturing for Ben to climb off. His friend was already half-falling off in his haste to move away.

Luke had a sudden bad feeling a moment before it happened. His father waved a hand at the engine access panel, causing it to break open and fall onto the floor with a clang. Then the engine control board flew out into his waiting hands, where it was promptly crushed into pieces.

"No!" Luke said, aghast. "What are you doing?"

"Maintaining my sanity," his father said. He pointed at Ben. "Make sure Luke behaves himself. I must return to the detention centre." He turned and walked back towards the elevators, leaving Luke muttering in Huttese under his breath.

"Well, it was going to happen sooner or later," Ben said, coming around to help Luke pick up the remains. "At least he didn't hack the entire thing to pieces with his lightsaber. That's what I thought he'd do."

"I know." Luke sighed. It was inevitable his final attempt at freedom would be crushed. "Are you okay? I was worried."

"Yeah, Fushna came back and told me about you being picked up by the street patrol. She took me back to get the _Bloodfin_. How about you? Grounded for the entire summer?"

Luke shook his head. "It's worse. We're leaving Coruscant tonight and he's going to teach me to use the Force. We'll be gone at least a month."

Ben frowned. "You're not going to come back dressed in a black hooded robe and talking about the Force all the time, are you?"

"Stars, I hope not. Are you going anywhere, or staying here?"

"We were supposed to go camping next week, but my dad has been weird lately," Ben said, sitting on the deactivated speeder bike. "He said things have been difficult at work, but he can't talk about it. We'll see."

"Well, if you're still here, give me a call," Luke said. "I may need a reality check."

* * *


	13. A Sith Vacation

Luke was still feeling raw over the deactivated _Bloodfin_ and remained silent in the co-pilot's seat for the first hour of the journey. His father hadn't offered to let him pilot, as he'd normally have done if he was trying to coax him out of a mood. Threepio and Artoo were charging in a back compartment, and he was half-considering asking them to play dejarik with him, but then his father finally turned the pilot's chair towards him.

"Did you remember to pack the extra power generators?"

"Um … I found one, but we didn't have room for more."

"Didn't have room?" his father repeated. "Why?"

"Because of all those dusty old storage crates you insisted on bringing."

"Those are essential supplies. There was room for extra power generators."

"I … may have slipped in a few extras," Luke said, looking aside.

"If you have brought your gamebox or any holovid entertainment devices, you will find they are entirely useless. The power sockets at the retreat will not be compatible."

"Now you tell me." Luke frowned. "Wait, so … are you saying there's no HoloNet receiver? Is it too late to say I'd rather we went to Mustafar?"

"This is not a vacation, Son. You will be working too hard on your training to idle away time."

"This is more punishment for getting arrested, isn't it? Stars, my relationship with Leia is ruined. My speeder bike is disabled. Haven't I suffered enough?"

"What happened with the princess was the natural consequence of your decision to hide the truth. And one day you will thank me for disabling that bike. If I had spent more time communing with the Force, and less time riding speeder bikes in the service tunnels, I may have fewer regrets today."

Luke stared at his father in surprise. "You know about that? Wait, you used to ride speeder bikes in the tunnels?"

There was only silence from the pilot's seat, and Luke sunk back in his chair. He was kidding himself if he actually thought his father might open up about his life. A hyperspace trip with just the two of them should be an ideal time for such a conversation, but instead his father was pretending to be checking the ship's fuel efficiency. It had always been like this.

If he thought there was any point, he might ask him if one of those life regrets was learning to use the Force in the first place.

"I'm going to see if the droids have finished charging," Luke said, standing up.

His father didn't reply, and Luke closed the cockpit door after him as he left.

He walked straight past the droids, and made his way to the back of the ship. Opposite the cargo hold, there was a bunk room which also held a hyperbaric chamber for his father. It was a short climb up into the top bunk, and then Luke pulled a blanket over, deciding sleeping would be a better use of his time.

Some hours later, a jolt sent him flying awake and slipping half out of the bunk. He quickly made his way back to the front of the ship, struggling to keep his balance.

"Buckle in," his father said, as he entered the cockpit. "The atmosphere is turbulent."

"Is this Lygun?" Luke said, rubbing his eyes as he sat down. There was nothing ahead but clusters of bright green clouds.

"It is. The atmosphere is a thick layer of toxic hitrone clouds. A thin layer of breathable air is trapped underneath, allowing life to exist."

Luke watched, fascinated, as a cloud rushed past them. "Are those dangerous to the ship?"

"Yes. One molecule of that gas can penetrate the shields and burn right through the hull."

Luke looked at the vast arrays of clouds, and then turned to his father in shock.

"We can't fly through those without hitting one! That's impossible!"

"Not for a Sith. The Force will guide us through."

Luke felt his stomach churn as they began to descend further into the cloud layer. Every so often, his father would turn the ship, resulting in the avoidance of clouds Luke couldn't even see coming. He glanced at his father at one point, surprised at the ease at which he could do this.

"Am I right in thinking only a Force sensitive person could make this journey?" Luke asked, watching another patch of green fog sweep past the window.

"Yes. Which is why this planet served as a Sith retreat for many centuries."

Luke felt the ship suddenly drop, and an especially large toxic cloud flew over the top of them.

"Careful! That was close!"

"We are out of danger," his father said, calmly. They had dropped below the cloud layer.

Luke strained to see out the window, eager for his first look at the terrain. The surface was covered in lots of thick foliage, all a dull and sickly green. In the odd clearing he could see sandy yellow ground. And on the horizon—

"Is that ... an ocean?!" Luke asked, amazed. "Wow! I've never seen one in real life before!"

"On many planets, the entire surface is an ocean," his father said.

Luke couldn't take his eyes off the awesome site as they swept over the vast blue surface. So much water, and all in one place. It was hard to believe this was possible, after living on Tatooine.

"Maybe I can go for a dip after we land," Luke said. "I brought swim shorts and a breather."

"Unwise," his father said. "The water is dangerously acidic."

Luke frowned at his father. "I think you misunderstood what I meant when I said I wanted to go somewhere with a beach."

They turned left slightly, and Luke shielded his eyes from the glare of the setting sun. After his vision had adjusted, he spotted two dark shapes on the horizon. Luke squinted, finally deciding they were islands.

"That is our destination," his father said.

"Which island? Left or right?"

"It is one island. It separates into two regions when the tide is high."

Luke removed his hand from his eyes as the last slither of sun disappeared. It would be well into the night in Imperial City. It seemed he would have to adjust his body clock.

The island loomed closer, and Luke looked down as they skimmed over the top. It was coated with the thick plant cover he had seen on the mainland. He couldn't help but wonder what creatures were lurking down there, under the wind-swept canopy.

He glanced forward again when he felt the shuttle slow, and saw a flat yellow bald patch appear in the jungle. A solid black triangular structure stood in the middle, looking bizarrely out of place. It was shaped like an upside down pyramid, with its point buried in the sand and its corners supported by four towers.

"Weird looking place," Luke remarked.

"Legend tells it was built by the Sith Master, Darth Agony, as a place to hide from his apprentice, Darth Lucify, who had grown too powerful for him to control," Vader said, as he brought the shuttle around to the rear landing platform.

"However, his apprentice hunted him down and they dueled to the death on the beach. But the duel was cut short when a vast wave came and swept Darth Lucify into the ocean, where the acid waters burnt him alive. Apparently, at night, his ghost still roams the beach, flesh hanging from his bones and—"

"Thank you for that!" Luke said, disgusted. "I'll sure sleep easier tonight!"

His father turned off the ship's engine.

* * *

The interior turned out to be even more foreboding than Luke had imagined. It was utterly devoid of anything that could be remotely considered welcoming. Dark pillars stretched up to the high ceiling, and narrow winding staircases led off from the main entrance hall. His father waved a hand, and the torches came to life in the brackets, revealing eerie patterns carved into the black walls.

Artoo, rolling along behind him, made a low whistle. Threepio merely said, "Oh, dear."

"I take back everything negative I ever said about Mustafar," Luke said. "That is a five star hotel compared to—ahh! Monsters!" Luke ducked behind his father as two four-legged winged creatures came rushing through the far doors. Artoo screeched and Threepio declared they were all doomed.

"Calm down," his father said, annoyed. "They are gargoyles. Native fauna."

Luke peered around at the clawed, fanged, drooling creatures. One of them actually came up to his father and made a friendly noise, beating its tail on the ground.

"Stars," Luke said. "They like you. Wait … it knows you!"

"Yes. They were here when I visited previously. The young red one is Fode, the green one is Beed."

Luke smirked at his father. "You gave them _names_?"

He didn't reply, but Luke could sense some embarrassment over their bond.

"Ha! They're your pets!"

"No. They are wild animals."

The red one was bounding around his father in excitement, not helping his argument.

"If you like animals so much, why did you never let me have a pet?" Luke asked.

His father was saved from answering by yet another being entered the room. This time, Luke was relieved it was only a silver protocol droid.

"Oh, nice to see a familiar face," Threepio said.

The droid stared around at all of them and merely said, "Greetings, Lord Vader."

"This droid can give you a tour," his father said. "There are bedrooms up in the north tower where you can sleep. I will need to remain on the ship."

"I'm happy to sleep in the ship too," Luke said, turning away from the creepy stone staircase. "Is there a refresher down here?"

As he started to walk towards an adjoining room which actually appeared to have working lights, he found himself tripping against an energetic gargoyle. He tried to step sideways, but its long forked tail came sweeping around his legs. He sprawled onto the stone floor, and then quickly shielded his face from the enquiring wet nose that came snuffling into it.

"Father! Get it off me!" Luke called, eyes widening as its mouth opened and he was treated to a close-up view of its fangs. Not to mention the decidedly non-vegetarian breath.

"Fode appears to like you," his father observed.

"I'm flattered," Luke said, struggling to his feet.

Fode heard something out on the balcony, and ran off after Beed. Luke brushed himself off, and then picked up a torch for himself.

"This way," the droid said, leading him down a corridor. Artoo and Threepio followed, something Luke was grateful for. Every so often, he found himself glancing behind, hearing strange scuttling noises inside the walls. The wind whistled outside, adding to the eeriness.

"In this wing, you will find a refresher suitable for organic lifeform needs," the droid said. "There is also a charging station. It has been adapted for use by most modern droids."

"Thanks," Luke said, handing the torch to Threepio. "Give me a moment."

He walked into the refresher, closed the door, and then started at the sound of another creaking noise inside the wall. He quickly fumbled for the light controls. His fingers closed on something that felt promising, but nothing happened. He punched it, frustrated. The lights came on for a few seconds, and then flickered and died.

"I think this place hates me," Luke sighed. It was going to be a long month.

* * *

Despite the less-than-hospitable environment, Luke found he slept well in the ship's bunk, and woke mid-morning to find sunlight glinting around the edges of the window. His father was nowhere to be seen, but the silver protocol droid arrived with breakfast on a tray and introduced herself properly as JT-27.

"So you're here all the time?" Luke asked. "By yourself? Sounds lonely."

"I like it this way," she said. "To be entirely honest, I hate people."

Luke smiled, taking a sip of milk. "Maybe you just haven't met the right ones. Do you like other droids? Artoo and Threepio are friendly."

"Yes, your droids have been most helpful already."

"Do you know where my father is?"

"He left for a walk a short time ago. Your astromech droid went with him, but Threepio is assisting with unpacking some of the supplies."

Luke nodded, glad he had some time to explore by himself. After eating, he returned to the refresher facilities, and was pleasantly surprised to find clean running water. It even came in hot and cold varieties. The mirror was cracked and rusting, but it was good enough to shave by.

When he returned to the main hall, Fode trotted in from the balcony, carrying a large bone, which he then dropped at Luke's feet.

"Is this a gift for me?" Luke asked. "Or you want to play?"

Fode rose up slightly, and made an odd squawking noise.

"I guess that means yes, huh? Well ... go fetch!"

He tossed the bone out of the room, and Fode scampered after it, knocking furniture aside on the way. Judging by the racket, it had rolled into the corridor and was travelling down the stairs.

Luke followed behind, and eventually stepped out into the main hall. Broad daylight hadn't done much to lessen the general creepiness of the décor, but Fode's happy squawks certainly helped.

The game continued for quite a while, and Luke found himself enjoying the company of the overly-energetic gargoyle. He'd never had a pet before. Well, he'd had a few small things on Tatooine, but nothing like this. It finally ended when Luke heard heavy footsteps approaching. He turned to find his father emerging from one of the staircases.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, nothing," Luke said. "Just playing with Fode."

Growing tired of waiting, Fode rushed up behind him, and ripped the bone from his grasp.

"Ah!" Luke said, shaking his hand. "Slobber! Yuk!"

Fode stood a span away, taunting Luke to try and get the bone back.

"Look what I've taught him to do," Luke said. "Come here boy! That's it! Now speak!"

Fode dropped the ball, and gave a half growl, half squawk.

Luke looked at his father, grinning, but he didn't seem impressed.

"How about this?" Luke said. "Roll over! Come on, boy, roll over!"

Fode obediently rolled onto his back, and stared up at them upside down.

"Aww, he's so cute," Luke said.

"Have you quite finished depriving that animal of its dignity?" his father rumbled.

"Well, I don't see anything else to do around here," Luke said.

His father turned back the way he'd come. "Follow me. We will begin your training."

Luke walked forward, feeling both nervous and excited. "What can I learn first? How to control people's minds? How to deflect blaster bolts bare-handed?"

"No." His father led him to a room entirely devoid of furniture, apart from two circular meditation seats. The walls were covered with carvings. Luke sat down on the edge of a seat, and looked up at his father in anticipation.

"First, you will learn to meditate," he said, taking a seat opposite.

"Boring!"

"It is absolutely essential. Before you can bend the Force to your will, you must be attuned to its presence. Meditation teaches mental discipline, and a strong mind is one of the three foundations of a Force user's journey."

He gestured at a large symbol on the wall, which depicted three interlocking rings.

"What are the other two?" Luke asked.

"The circles represent the overlapping spheres of mind, body and spirit. If strength is lacking in any one of those areas, your overall power in the Force will suffer. From now on, you will spend an hour every day in meditation, and another hour improving your physical fitness."

Luke nodded, trying not to sigh. He didn't mind exercising, but sitting around in silence was not his idea of fun.

"Now, we are going to try a simple meditation exercise. Make yourself comfortable."

Luke obliged, shuffling into the middle of the seat.

"Close your eyes, and focus on your inner self. Do not allow anything to distract you. Tell me when you are tuned to the Force."

Luke focused, gradually feeling calmer. He became aware of his own breathing, his father's breathing, the odd creak deep within the building. Straining his ears, he could even hear the sound of the waves breaking on the distant beach. Connecting all of this, he could feel something. He knew what it was—the Force.

"I can feel something."

"Describe it to me."

Luke pondered it for a moment, trying to think of a way to describe it without sounding stupid.

"It's all around me," Luke said, finally.

"And within you?"

"A little. But I can sense it stronger in you." Luke focused on the strong presence of his father, which overshadowed everything else in the room.

"Good. Do you remember the Emperor's instructions in using the Force to discern the future?"

"Yes," Luke said, becoming nervous. How could he forget?

"Relax. We are not concerned with the future today. Instead, you are going to use the Force to enhance your memories of the past. I want you to think of a very early memory."

"From Tatooine?"

"Yes. Recall everything you can about it, and then tune yourself to the Force, and analyse it carefully. It will take several attempts, but you will soon achieve results."

Luke cast his mind back, thinking about his earliest memories. There were many of them, but none of them seemed interesting enough that he wanted to know more. Just vague images of Tatooine's suns, digging a hole in the sand, drinking blue milk. And plenty of his aunt and uncle. There was one memory he had, that he wasn't sure whether it was real or a dream. He'd asked Uncle Owen about it once, and he had said it was a dream. Maybe it was, because it was not a happy memory. He was holding Aunt Beru's hand, as she lay unconscious on the floor. Her fingers were limp in his hand ...

But that's all he could remember. What was he supposed to do now? Tune himself to the Force. Luke reached out, feeling the Force respond to his query once again. But how was he supposed to use it to reveal more of his memory? It wasn't like using the Force to move an object, when you had something physical to focus on. Maybe he was supposed to focus on his memory.

Luke tried, but it was clear there wasn't much happening. He could see Aunt Beru was wearing a browny-red cardigan, that was about it. He was about to tell his father this was going nowhere, when he started to hear an odd repeating sound. It was some kind of alarm.

The distress beacon! That's right ... Aunt Beru had taught him how to switch it on a few months before, and he'd managed to climb up on a chair and reach it.

Then ... then ... Luke reached out to the Force, curious to know more. It responded to his call, and he began to hear voices.

"What happened, Luke?"

An old man's voice. He sounded gentle, like he was talking to a very young child.

"Don't be frightened. Your aunt will be all right. Let's see if we can wake her."

The Force was growing around him. Now he had an image. It was Ben Kenobi, but younger than he remembered him.

"You've done well, Luke. Can you bring me some water?"

The image suddenly changed. He was in the living room now, playing on the floor with some blocks. Obi-Wan and Aunt Beru sat on the couch. She was holding a cold pack to her forehead.

"Owen will not be happy about this," his aunt said, sounding weary.

"To the contrary, I should think he'll be glad for Luke's quick-thinking."

"It's more complicated than that, Obi-Wan. Luke was supposed to go with Owen today. He loves to go to Anchorhead. But this morning he refused to go, even to the point of tears. It was very out of character."

"Ah. I see. Well, I am sure Owen can accept the odd coincidence."

"He can accept the odd coincidence ... but not when they start happening every week. Will this happen more often as Luke grows older?"

"No. In fact, it will happen less. Luke trusts his instincts so readily because he hasn't learnt to rationalize yet. That is why we Jedi are trained from such an early age."

"I suppose I just can't help but remember the first time we met Anakin. He never did explain how he knew there was something wrong."

A bang sounded in the kitchen, and Luke dropped the block he'd been trying to stack on the pile. His uncle had returned.

"What are you doing here, Kenobi?!"

Luke didn't want to see any more, lest it tarnish his fond memories of his uncle. He detached himself from the Force and opened his eyes.

His father had gone. Strange, he hadn't heard him leaving, and his father was hardly quiet. He tried to stand up, but was met with a sudden pain. His legs were cramped. How long had he been sitting here?

Perhaps he had discovered exactly how his father managed to spend hours meditating.

* * *

Luke was vague about the results of his meditation when Vader questioned him about it later. It didn't concern him, however, as memory retrievable could be a very personal thing. They shifted on to telekinesis exercises for the afternoon, and afterwards his son went for a walk down to the beach with Artoo and Fode.

When he returned, Luke ate dinner in the dining room, while Vader sat opposite and busied himself with drawing up a list of everything he hoped to teach his son before they returned to Coruscant. Considering the risk the Emperor posed, learning how to defend himself against a Force user's attacks must be a high priority. But first he needed to equip his son with the knowledge to teach himself. That meant enhancing his ability to connect to the Force.

There was silence throughout the meal, and Luke rested his head on his hand, pushing his food around idly.

"Is it not to your liking?" Vader asked, finally.

"Huh? Oh ... no it's fine. I ... I'm just thinking about things."

Silence resumed. Vader was at the stage of considering whether to start mental manipulation after the meal, when Luke put down his fork.

"They knew."

"Who knew what?" Vader asked, confused.

"Everyone. Obi-Wan ... my aunt and uncle. They knew about my Force abilities ... so why didn't they tell me?"

_That is glaringly obvious_ , Vader thought.

"Instead I learned to ignore it, because I didn't understand it."

"A situation easily rectified," Vader said. "Once you became aware of it, you have made much progress on your own."

"But I don't understand what was so wrong about me knowing about it in the first place."

"I can only assume they were worried I would sense your existence if you were awakened to the Force." Luke frowned, and Vader could sense his annoyance. "Perhaps it was for the best," he added.

Luke looked up. "What?!"

"You were raised in relative peace and safety, away from the Emperor."

"Away from you," Luke said, quietly.

"I thought I was the most embarrassing father in the galaxy," Vader said, lightly.

Luke rolled his eyes. He hadn't said that to his father in years.

"Son, there is little point dwelling on events past. Always move forward. My intent with the meditation exercise was to teach you to examine a memory with the Force, not to send you into melancholy."

"I guess you're right," Luke said, picking up his plate. "What are we doing this evening? I brought some sabacc cards."

"You can dispose of them. You will be practicing concentration."

"Hey, I did well today. I've earned a rest."

"You have done well," Vader agreed. "You may rest, then. Only because it is the first night. I will check my messages using the ship's comlink."

"Work? What happened to vacation?"

"I never said this was a vacation, Son. In fact, I believe I said the opposite."

"Well I say it's a vacation," Luke said, smirking.

* * *

Luke changed his mind after five days of adhering to his father's training schedule. Not even the most demanding teachers at school came close to his father's determination. He refused to accept the phrase "I can't do it." The words only caused him to push him harder. But his father remained patient, however, which was more than Luke could say for himself.

They'd been in the library all morning, moving books around with the Force. Four days ago, he'd struggled to make one book even tremble slightly. Yesterday he'd managed to raise one a meter into the air, and hold it there steady for a minute. But it wasn't good enough for his father. Now he was making him try and hold three books in the air at once.

"Try it again," his father said, after another failed attempt. "This time, concentrate."

"I am concentrating!" Luke insisted.

His father pointed at the first book, a huge fat volume that needed two hands just to open. Luke slumped back in his seat, closed his eyes and stretched out his fingers toward the book. It rose obediently into the air, and hovered above the table.

"Good. Now, the next one."

Luke opened his eyes, trying to find the second book. The first book began to waver.

"Concentrate," his father said. "You do not need to see objects to feel them in the Force."

Luke closed his eyes, and the first book stabilized. Now was the tricky part. He had to fork his focus, keeping one part of his mind on the first book, and the other part on the second.

Something must have worked, because he could hear it rising from the table. He opened his eyes, seeing the second book rise to join the first.

"And the third one," his father said, pushing it forward.

Luke glanced at it, and then felt the first two books begin to slip. Stars, this was difficult! It was like having an ice cream in each hand and being asked to pilot a speeder without spilling a drop. The books drifted up and down a few times, and then he finally had them sitting on the same level. Time to split his focus again, and pick up that elusive third book ...

It began to tremble in response, and Luke felt a rush of excitement. Maybe he was finally going to do it this time. He concentrated intensely on the third book, determined not to let it slip away. But another thought began to arise in his mind. Perhaps, after he achieved this, his father would place five books on the table, and insist he did the same with those.

"Focus," his father warned.

Luke saw the books were again slipping and pushed the negative thoughts away. He could do it ... if he just applied enough attention on the third book, while keeping the others in the air. But like a sweaty hand slipping from a climbing bar, Luke could feel his concentration dissolving. He quickly stood up, waving a hand in the air, but it was too late. The first two books slammed into the desk, causing a big cloud of dust.

"You didn't concentrate," his father said, calmly.

"Arg! Will you stop saying that!" Luke kicked the table leg. "I'm trying but I can't do it!"

"I am going to start a banned word list," his father said. "If you use any word on the list, you will do twenty push-ups. The first word on the list is 'can't'. The second is 'try'. Any derivatives of those words are included. Now, sit down and start over."

"No!" Luke said. "I already said I _can't_ do it, I've _tried_ enough today, and I'm not doing any push-ups, drill sergeant!"

"You are generating enough anger to lift every book in this library. Use it."

Luke had been about to respond with another protest, but he was stopped short with his father's words. He stared at the books, remembering how it felt when he choked Tyloid. He'd used his anger then ...

He started to do as his father suggested, but something made him hesitate. It felt wrong. He couldn't deny it.

"I need a break," Luke said, returning to his seat and burying his head in his hands.

"What is the problem?"

"The problem is that I'm a mere mortal and I get tired."

"That is not what I meant. I have observed you doing this before ... you come so close to releasing some of the power that I know you are capable of. Then you draw back. Why?"

"I don't know why."

"Then perhaps you need to meditate on it," his father suggested. "I will return in half an hour, and you will tell me what you have learned."

Luke didn't respond. He listened as his father stood up and walked past him. He closed the door on the way out.

After mulling over the situation for a while, Luke dragged the largest of the books towards him, curious as to what subject would fill so many pages. For that matter, who could be bothered writing so much? It must have taken a lifetime.

It was made of some ancient material and smelt like it was five hundred years old. The title had long since worn off the cover. He turned to the first page, and a large puff of dust came flying out.

He coughed, sweeping it away, and then looked at the elaborately decorated inscription on the inside cover. Maybe it was some kind of Jedi heirloom. His father had brought several crates filled with what Luke could only assume were his old reference materials, and this must have been one of the books buried under the stacks of holocrons.

_Luke!_

Luke looked around in surprise, wondering if his father had returned. The library door was still sealed tight. A warm feeling began to arise from the book, and he drew his hand away from it, sensing something wasn't quite right. Another cloud of dust puffed out from the book and began to swirl on the floor. Then, much to his surprise, it began to glow, and rise up into a pillar.

Luke jumped out of his seat and took a step back, throat going dry with fear. The glowing pillar was turning into the shape of a person. A middle-aged man, dressed in a hooded robe.

Once his features were fully formed, he smiled at Luke.

"Hello there. Don't be afraid—it's only me."

Luke blinked at the man in surprise. "Obi-Wan?! What ... what are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!"

"I am what you might call a ghost, yes."

"What do you want?" Luke said. He glanced behind him, wondering if he should call his father.

"Only to talk to you. We are long overdue for a conversation, but unfortunately I've had a difficult time trying to get your attention. There are important things you must know."

"About what?"

"The Force." The ghost Obi-Wan sat in the chair that his father had occupied a few minutes earlier. He gestured for Luke to sit opposite, but Luke couldn't bring himself to move. He'd had a lot of bizarre experiences in his life, but this was eclipsing them all.

"You see, my young friend, your father and the Emperor have not been truthful with you."

"What do you mean?"

"There is more to the nature of the Force than what you have been told. The Force, in its natural state, is the harmony and balance of energy between all living things. A Jedi uses the Force for peace and knowledge. But the Force can be corrupted into the Dark Side, an energy which destroys life and causes evil and suffering. This happens when you give into the temptation to channel the Force through your anger and hate."

Luke's eyes widened at this revelation. "Is that why the Force feels so different when I'm angry? It makes me feel cold and empty."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"But I can also do things with the Force when I'm angry that I can't do otherwise."

"The Dark Side is a quicker, easier path to power. But once you have fallen into its grasp, it will consume you. Nothing of who you are now will remain when your journey into its fold is complete."

"That's not what I want," Luke said, feeling afraid at the idea. "Somehow, I've known it isn't right but … how can I avoid it? My father wants ..." Luke broke off, realizing the full implication of what Obi-Wan had said.

"Wait. You said the Jedi use the Force for peace and knowledge. What about the Sith?"

"Sith Lords and their agents serve the Dark Side of the Force. Luke, your father was a good man and a powerful Jedi. The Emperor saw his potential for power when he was just a child, and spent years cultivating a friendship with him. We did not know he was a Sith Lord until it was too late, and he had lured your father to the Dark Side. You must not follow the same path. I know you have anger inside of you, but you must not give in to temptation."

Luke shook his head. "I'm not tempted by … wait, what are you saying about my father? That he's been consumed by a power created out of evil and suffering? Why would any good person choose that?"

Obi-Wan looked down. "Luke, I loved your father as a brother. I trained him from when he was only a boy. He had sworn to destroy the Sith, and it broke my heart when he became one of them. I'm afraid the man you know as your father is only the monster the Dark Side has created out of the destruction of Anakin Skywalker. Your father, your real father, was killed by Darth Vader."

"That's not true!" Luke said, horrified at the idea. "I know my father does some terrible things but he's not a … a creation of evil, like you say. He thinks they are necessary to keep order. Why should I believe you anyway? Didn't the Jedi betray the Republic? Weren't you responsible for his injuries? You took me to Tatooine to keep us apart. How do I know you're not just trying to drive us apart again?"

"Luke, I—"

"Leave me alone," Luke said, turning for the door. "I don't need your help."

* * *

When Vader returned to the library after the generous allowance of a thirty minute meditation break, he was met with the sight of an empty room and the ancient books left lying askew. This was proving to be a problem when it came to training his son. The natural respect and obedience that should exist between a master and apprentice was absent. Instead he had to contend with the casual disregard a teenage son had for his father.

He finally located his son outside, standing up on a ridge and gazing at the distant ocean with a vacant expression on his face. Daydreaming.

"This doesn't look like meditating to me, young one."

Luke started, and then quickly turned around. He hadn't even been aware of his approach. They were five days into this attempt at a crash course and his son could have been taken down by one of the island's many predators because he was too busy staring at the horizon.

"I was just—"

Vader raised a hand, cutting him off. "I do not wish to hear your excuses. Follow me."

His son walked behind him, shoulders hunched and looking dejected. Vader waited for him to catch up at the door into the bottom of the south tower.

"Now, see how quickly you can run up to the top. Use the Force to enhance your speed. You need to burn off the attitude you displayed this morning because it is hindering your progress."

Luke obliged, quickly disappearing from sight up the winding staircase. Vader followed at a slower pace, listening to the echo of Luke's footsteps against the ancient stone. When he reached the top, Luke was hunched forward against the outer wall, hands on his knees and panting for breath.

"Come here," Vader said, walking over to the inner edge of the circular path that ran around the top. Luke straightened up and came to stand beside him, looking down into the center of the tower. It was completely hollow, with nothing but the round black wall all the way to the sandy ground at the bottom.

"What's the point of this tower?" Luke said. "Did they forget to build the rooms? Or was it meant for storing food?"

"Let me show you," Vader said. He gave his son a firm push, causing him to yelp in surprise and then scream as he found himself falling over the edge. Halfway down, his instincts kicked in, and Vader watched in satisfaction as he slowed down and hit the ground with surprising grace for a first-timer. He then jumped into the void himself, landing neatly beside Luke a moment later.

"I can't believe you did that!" Luke said, waving his arms dramatically.

"I would have helped if you hadn't managed on your own," Vader said, walking over to the side. "Well done. You have now learned to use the Force to fall safely. That is a requirement for your next lesson."

Vader pulled a lever in the wall, and a creaking noise echoed above, followed by a series of platforms jutting out from the walls.

"Oh, I get it," Luke said, grinning. "I've got this."

His son closed his eyes for a moment, and then did a running leap and launched himself into the air, easily making it to the lowest platform. He didn't stop there, immediately using his momentum to bounce back across the tower to the next platform on the opposite side. Vader felt a wave of pride at the sight. Perhaps the telekinesis would require a lot more work, but his son had already excelled with the Force jump.

Vader followed him up at a slower pace, watching to make sure his son landed squarely on each platform. He appeared pleased with himself once he reached the top.

"Impressive," Vader said, when he landed beside him. "This comes more easily."

Luke nodded. "I learned a lot in gymnastics at school. I never realised how much I was using the Force before."

"A fully trained Jedi would be able to do this backwards and blindfolded," Vader said. "I want you to practice safe falling and jumping back up. When I am satisfied, you can add it to your morning exercises and meditation routine."

Luke was about to drop back down, but he hesitated, and glanced up at him. "A fully trained _Jedi_?"

"A Sith Lord," Vader corrected, realizing his slip. "Go on."

Luke stared at him a moment longer, and then nodded and disappeared over the side. He would have to be more careful with his words.

* * *

After performing so well with the jumping lesson, his father didn't argue when Luke suggested he should turn in early. He did remind him to remember to practice his meditation when he woke, causing Luke to nod in a weary way. He didn't want to think about meditation right now.

Artoo was alone in the ship when he returned from showering, plugged into the computer system. He whistled in greeting at the sight of Luke, and then asked if he was all right.

"I don't know, buddy," Luke said, flopping down in the passenger seat and putting his hand on Artoo's dome. "I'm so confused. I'm not even sure who I should believe anymore."

Artoo made a short beep, and Luke glanced at the monitor.

_Did someone lie?_

"I saw Obi-Wan's ghost," Luke explained. "I know, I know. It sounds crazy. It is crazy! And he told me some things about the Force which made sense. But then he said bad things about my father and …" Luke slumped forward, putting his face in his hands. "I know he does terrible things, and I wish he didn't. But he's also my father and I love him. What do you do when all those things are true?"

Artoo only made a comforting chirp in response. Luke opened his eyes, staring at the droid.

"You knew my father when he still went by Anakin Skywalker."

Artoo beeped in agreement, and his words appeared on the monitor.

_Before the Emperor reprogrammed him._

"Obi-Wan said he's so different now, he's a monster who might as well have killed my father. Even my father talks about himself back then like he was a different person. But if that's true, then who do I love? Is it just the same old fantasy father I used to dream about as a kid, who doesn't really even exist?"

Artoo whistled and chirped, and Luke read the translation slowly.

_He still registers as the same person on my scanners. He still likes to fly and fix things. But now he follows a new master and has a different set of instructions. His ethical subroutine appears to have been deleted._

Luke felt a wave of pain in his stomach at the words. His dreams about himself in the future were also of a person who had lost their 'ethical subroutine'. Or conscience, as he might call it.

Artoo continued then.

_But I'm sure Anakin hasn't been entirely deleted. He's most like his old self when he's with you._

"What was he like?" Luke asked, rubbing his head.

_Anakin always treated me and Threepio like friends. He would spend hours repairing me and upgrading me after our missions. He risked himself to rescue me and called me his buddy. He defended me when other Jedi would complain about my mistakes. I wish I could repair him, because I'm sure he misses Anakin too._

"Oh, Artoo," Luke said, feeling a wave of emotion. His voice broke as he said something he'd been thinking ever since he'd met his father. "I wish he would tell me what happened to him to make him this way. Then maybe I could understand." He felt a wave of determination then. "I'm going to find out. And I'm going to find a way to help him. I don't care what Obi-Wan says. He's my father."

Artoo made an encouraging beep.

"If I want to understand why this happened, then I need to learn more about who he was back then," Luke said. "This is going to be tough, because he won't tell me anything. I'll need to find a way to trick it out of him somehow."

Artoo made a flurry of encouraging whistles, and then more words appeared.

_Do you have a blank data tape?_

"Sure. Why? You have something which could help me?"

Luke stood up and retrieved one from the storage compartment at the back of the cockpit. He inserted it into the ship's disk drive, and Artoo clicked and whirred while the data transfer light flashed. It took a good ten minutes, but finally the progress bar reached the end and the datatape ejected from the drive.

"What's this?" Luke said, picking it up and staring at the disk.

_Some messages your father recorded while he was away at war. They were mostly for your mother._

"Are you serious? Why didn't you show me these before?"

_Your father would have my memory wiped if he found out I still had all these recordings. But you need them now. You need to figure out how to protect yourself before the Emperor tries to reprogram you._

"I won't let him find out," Luke said, putting his hand back on Artoo's dome. "Don't worry."

He stared at the datatape, wondering if he was really ready for this.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Vader watched as Luke jumped, and hastily switched off whatever mindless entertainment he was watching on the ship's holo projector. He was supposed to be using this time after his midday meal for meditation.

"Ah, just seeing if I can get a connection to the HoloNet."

"The HoloNet will not grow your connection to the Force."

"I know, but they ate half my lunch and now they're tired," Luke said, gesturing down at his feet. "So now I can't move."

Vader glanced under the table and saw Fode and Beed were sleeping against Luke's legs, using both each other and his body for warmth.

"Push them off. It is time to start a new phase in your training." Vader turned to enter the cargo hold, looking for a large crate he'd purposely hidden at the back, not wanting Luke to discover it. It required some shifting of existing crates to make space to activate its repulsors.

"What do you mean by 'new phase'?" Luke called.

"You will soon find out."

When he returned to the main room, guiding the crate ahead of him, he found Luke was still fighting a losing battle to shift the gargoyles. Vader stretched out a hand, and dragged Fode out using the Force. The young animal woke up immediately and then made a squawking noise and jumped up, bumping his head into his hand. Vader idly scratched between his ears, and Fode made a snuffling noise, twitching in pleasure.

"You know, you show them more affection than you've ever shown me," Luke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Then come here, and I will pat you. How hard and where depends on how fast you move."

Luke raised his hands. "Tell Fode to get his mate off my feet first!"

"They are not mates. Fode is Beed's son."

Luke glanced between the gargoyles curiously. "They're so different from each other. Fode is always bouncing off the walls and squawking, and Beed just lies around in the sun."

"All motivation he once possessed has clearly been broken by the demands of fatherhood. I can identify."

Luke rolled his eyes, and then looked down. "Can we talk about something for a moment?"

"Of course." He sounded serious, and Vader had intended to give Luke his full attention, but Fode had begun scrabbling at the crate, clearly thinking it contained food. The lid fell off just as his son began speaking.

"I'm having second thoughts about ... well, about all of this. I don't know if being a Sith Lord is right for me. This isn't just about my trouble with holding the books in the air ..."

Fode put one paw in the crate, and then jumped back in fright as a flat-packed droid unfolded and sat up.

"Using the Force doesn't feel right for me, sometimes," Luke continued. He was half-bent over, still struggling to push the snoring Beed off his feet. "When you tell me to use my anger ... it feels wrong. I used my anger when I choked Tyloid, and it felt wrong then, too. Is there something about the Force that you haven't—" Luke glanced up and his eyes widened in recognition of the droid that was now powering up and coming online.

A wave of panic echoed over their bond, and Luke frantically tried to shift Beed. "Can you turn that killer droid off?" he said, a tremor in his voice.

"It is of no danger to you in its current state," Vader said, flicking the droids off switch and folding it back into the crate. He used the Force to retrieve an additional object from the crate, and then sealed the lid. Luke was still radiating fear. Beed was starting to stir under the pummeling he was getting. Then Fode trotted over to paw at his father, and the larger gargoyle finally stood up and ambled off towards the ship's ramp.

Luke stood up, and then sat back down quickly and began rubbing his numb legs.

"You have made much progress this week," Vader said, moving closer until he was looking down at Luke. "You are now ready to learn the most essential skill for a young Sith apprentice. How to fight and defeat your enemies." Vader offered Luke a lightsaber. "This weapon is one I built when I was your age. You can use it until you reach the level of mastery required to build your own."

Luke did not accept the offered gift. Only stared at him with a weary expression and then said, "Did you listen to a word I said before?"

"Yes. You are feeling unsure and confused." Vader reached out to help him stand, and then left his hand resting on his shoulder. "I felt the same way many times during my youth. You do not have to use your anger to channel the Force if it makes you feel uncomfortable. You are only new at this, and perhaps the more ... advanced techniques can wait until later."

Luke nodded, looking down. Then his gaze shifted to the crate, and Vader again felt the echo of fear.

"If you work hard and practice every day, you could defeat one of those droids yourself," Vader said. "On their lowest skill level, of course."

"You think so?" Luke finally reached out to take the offered lightsaber and flexed his artificial hand around the handle. It was a good fit, as Vader had anticipated.

"You will undoubtedly be a natural," Vader said, guiding Luke towards the ship's ramp.

* * *


	14. A Father-Son Camping Trip

Two weeks after his son had first picked up a saber, Luke had gained skills at a rate that surprised even Vader. He embraced the art of the lightsaber with an enthusiasm similar to that he displayed when piloting. It was thrilling for Vader to witness. He'd been doing this himself for so long, he had forgotten the novelty and excitement he'd felt in his youth.

After an especially exhausting bout, Luke leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Your last parry was a fraction too low," Vader remarked. "Aim higher on your opponent's blade."

"What's a parry again?" Luke asked, getting back into position.

"The defensive movement."

"Oh." Luke was silent for a moment, looking blank. "So what's a feint?"

Vader ignited his blade, and made a sudden swipe at Luke. His son turned on his own blade in shock, and hurried to parry. Halfway through the movement, Vader changed the direction of his attack, and ended up with his blade at Luke's throat. Luke froze.

"That was a feint," Vader said, holding the blade steady for a few seconds longer, before switching it off.

"Got it," Luke said, eyeing him warily. "I've had it. I'm going to go get cleaned up."

"Very well. You may have an hour's rest, then we will resume your telekinetic exercises."

Luke nodded, and wandered off towards the dueling room doors. Vader watched him leave, thinking over the progress he'd made. Although his son did not realize it, all this lightsaber training was further advancing his attunement to the Force. A week ago he would only have lasted two hours, now he had lasted four. It was satisfying to watch, to the point where he wished there was someone to whom he could boast about his son's abilities.

Luke was going to be everything he had wanted to be in his own youth. There was no Obi-Wan around to stop his son from realizing his full potential. Nothing would stand in their way.

* * *

After showering and changing his clothes, Luke settled down on his bunk with the portable holoprojector, looking forward to getting through another batch of messages. He'd had to steal minutes between training sessions while keeping a careful watch on his father's presence in the Force, but it was worth it. Over the last two weeks, he'd learned more about his father's past than he had during the entire five years of living with him.

Some things he could have guessed on his own—like his father's most preferred command position was as the head of a flight squad. Others were surprising. Whether or not Obi-Wan had been telling the truth when he said he loved his father like a brother, it was clear his father felt that way about Obi-Wan. He'd often repeat some of the things he'd said that day, some of which sounded like things Luke had heard from his father.

Then there were all the emotional declarations of undying love, some of which went on so long, Luke quickly had to skip forward. There was one message where his father said things were quiet at the front, so he was going to take the time to list all the things he missed about Luke's mother, and it went on for more than five minutes. The list had included such ridiculous things as 'the way your hair shifts in the wind' and 'the way the light reflects in your eyes'.

The idea of his stoic, serious father ever being this open about his feelings was part amusing, part disturbing. It had been difficult to avoid saying anything to his father about all this ... or even giving him a hint that he was spending his free time listening to some of his most intimate thoughts. But fortunately, his father seemed too distracted with the task of training him to worry about what he was doing.

Today's message was a continuation of one he'd listened to last night. His father was stationed on some humid, rainy planet called Seedum, and they'd been defending some city from a growing Seperatist army on the borders. His father was pacing up and down, passing in and out of the recording field, and he appeared soaked with rain.

"I don't know where to begin with today, Padmé. Echo and Fives got into a fight over a game of dejarik and somehow the entire company is taking sides. Rex told me he'd sort it out but I'm not hopeful."

Rex was the captain of the company of clone soldiers, and his father frequently spoke about him like he was a friend. Nothing like how he spoke about the Imperial officers now. It was impossible to imagine this man being so angry as to choke the guy if he made a mistake.

"Snips says it's gonna take some time." His father smiled and then added, "She still hasn't recovered from losing at sabacc to me last week."

Luke sat up, taking note. His father knew how to play sabacc. He'd brought a set of cards and tried to convince the droids to play, without much success so far. And he'd played with this 'Snips' who seemed to be another Jedi named Ahsoka, not a clone. One thing was clear, his father had a lot of friends back then.

"All this downtime has me thinking about you constantly," his father said, stopping mid-pace. Luke hovered his finger over the fast-forward button, anticipating more mushy talk.

"It's our anniversary next week. There's so much I want to give you, but most of all, an end to this war." His father paused, and then added, "There's talk of Dooku being sighted on Saleucami. It could all be over if we capture him, but Obi-Wan said we have a job to do here. I know he's right, but when I think about all the Jedi that Sith traitor has killed it's difficult not to think of revenge. An eternity of oblivion in the Dark Side of the Force is too good an end for him."

Luke stared in surprise. The Dark Side. It was true. And clearly his father was no fan of the Sith at this stage in his life. So what changed? Clearly the Emperor was involved, but it was hard to believe his father had completely changed his entire outlook overnight.

"But revenge is not the Jedi way."

In the background, a new person wandered into the frame, and his father quickly turned around, now with his back to the camera. Luke leaned closer in curiosity when the newcomer's face was revealed. It was a much younger Obi-Wan.

"Were you speaking with the admiral?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, just … talking with Artoo," his father said. He made a hand sign behind him, and Artoo must have cut off the recording. The sudden silence made Luke aware of boot steps on the ship's ramp and he quickly hit the power button on the projector. A moment later, his father came around the corner.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking from Luke to the projector.

"Uh … just … talking to Artoo," Luke said, and then immediately cringed at the obvious lie.

"Artoo is not here," his father said.

A string of beeps and whistles came from the cargo hold, and Artoo rolled out to the corridor.

"Yes, he is," Luke said, grinning.

"I suspect you are indulging in mindless entertainment," his father said, pointing at him. "Come. We will resume your training."

"Didn't you ever enjoy mindless entertainment when you were my age?" Luke suggested, dropping down to the deck to follow his father.

"The Jedi led simple lives. We were not encouraged to indulge in entertainment."

"Like tunnel racing?" Luke suggested, grinning up at his father as they walked through into the main hall.

"I can see I will regret telling you that."

Luke looked down, feeling a pang in his heart. His tone sounded exactly the same as the younger man in the holos, even if the voice was completely different. It had long felt like his father was wearing not just a life support suit, but an entire disguise, and everything he'd seen in those recordings supported this.

"Well, everyone regrets things, right," Luke said carefully. "Like I regret that time I played hooky from the Empire Day ceremonies because I wanted to fly my new speeder."

"So do I, young one."

"Do you regret anything from when you were my age?" Luke asked. "Or even when you were older?"

"It would be quicker to list everything I don't regret." His father opened the doors to the room adjacent to the one they'd been using for dueling practice.

Luke was about to ask further questions, but he was distracted by the sight before him. It was filled with various pieces of furniture, haphazardly arranged down one end. The other half of the room was empty.

"Redecorating?" Luke asked.

"Winning a contest of power with another Force user isn't only a matter of your skill with a lightsaber," his father said. "All your abilities will be required. Today you will learn how to engage in a telekinetic attack."

"Is this like when you throw tools at me because I swear in Huttese?" Luke asked.

"Yes, but I will not give you time to move out of the way. You need to block them by redirection, or generate a Force shield. Stand there."

His father pointed to the empty half of the room, and Luke went to stand in front of him, feeling a little unsettled. This feeling only increased when his father gestured at a table, which obediently rose off the floor.

"Can you please start with something smaller?!"

"You could easily block it if you concentrate," his father said. But he let the table fall with a crash and lifted up a chair instead. Then he flung it towards Luke at a speed that made him instantly jump out of its way and raise his arms. But it swerved to follow him, and Luke desperately tried to push it away with the Force. He only managed to send it slightly off course, but his father intervened and the chair landed on the ground in front of him.

"Now lift it up and push it back towards me."

Luke stared at it, and then raised his arm. He only managed to shove it across the floor, at a slow pace. Then he found his father was already tossing two books at him, and he jumped back in surprise.

"You need to control your fear," his father said, letting the books fall. "Focus."

Luke slumped, feeling dejected. He could already tell this wasn't going to go as easily as the Force jump and the dueling lessons.

Over the next two hours, his father alternated between terrifying him with multiple speeding projectiles, and attempting a more careful approach, with only one slow object at a time. When neither method seemed to work, he resorted to blindfolding him, which only made things worse. The table he'd managed to slide across the room earlier wouldn't budge with the blindfold on. His father was beginning to get frustrated.

"You are not focused."

"I'm trying," Luke sighed, ripping off the blindfold.

" _What_ did you say?!"

"I said I'm ... thinking about other things," Luke amended.

"Nothing is more important than this. Now, sit down and complete the mental exercises I taught you last week. Then we will continue."

"Let me give it another go," Luke said, hastily stretching out a hand towards the table and closing his eyes. Anything to avoid mental exercises.

Then he felt himself flying back and landing on one of the chairs.

"Hey!" Luke protested.

"I am showing you how it is done," his father said, sounding amused.

Luke frowned for a moment, and then smiled, glad his father wasn't angry with him, despite his lack of progress. He raised a hand, but his father easily blocked his attempt to push him.

"Better. But I still want you to meditate."

"I'm getting hungry," Luke said. "And thirsty. We've been at this for hours."

"I will ask the droid to bring you some food. When you have regained your focus, continue your practice. Turn your frustration into pathways through which the Force can flow. Remember—you are in control of the Force, not the other way. Make it do your bidding."

Luke nodded. "Where are you going?"

"Outside."

"Sanity maintenance?" Luke enquired.

He didn't reply, and Luke watched until the last thread of his cape had floated out the door. Then he slumped back with a groan.

"Things not going your way?"

Luke started, and then looked across at an adjacent armchair. Ghost Obi-Wan was sitting there, glowing transparent fingers clasped in front of him.

For a second, Luke considered calling his father back, but the idea quickly faded. He needed answers to a few more questions, and he wasn't going to get them while his father was around.

"What do you want from me?" Luke asked.

"Your forgiveness."

Luke raised an eyebrow, wondering if a ghost could be senile. "What?"

"I was unfair to you. Time passes differently in this realm, and I forget how long you have been with your father. I should not have been so insensitive."

Luke looked down, fidgeting with the blindfold. "You really were his friend, weren't you? I've been watching some recordings he made when you were fighting in the Clone Wars. He talks about you a lot."

Obi-Wan smiled. "What does he say?"

"Among other things, that you reined him in when he got too impulsive."

Obi-Wan laughed. "I certainly tried." A look of deep sadness came over his face then. "Yes, our bond was as strong as two brothers. I trusted him with my life, as he trusted me with his. But I failed him. I failed your mother. Then I failed to keep you safe on Tatooine. Now you are in grave danger."

"I'm all right," Luke said. "You may think my father is now a monster, but he's more like your friend than you realize."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's all an act, Luke. He has attempted to be a father for your benefit. But now that you are growing into a young adult, this will change. He knows the two of you cannot continue to be together unless you also turn to the Dark Side. The Emperor will not allow you to live any other way, and the nature of the Dark Side compels your father to obey his master. He imagines the two of you can destroy the Emperor together one day, but he is blind to what will happen to you if you fall into the pit of the Dark Side."

Luke remembered his future visions, and he shuddered, feeling cold. "I'm not going to turn to the Dark Side. I've already resisted the Emperor's attempt to turn me."

"Do not underestimate the temptation. You will only continue to resist if you go far away from the Emperor."

"I can't hide from him. If you and the entire Jedi Order couldn't defeat him, what hope do I have? If my father thinks we have a chance if we team up, then maybe that's not such a bad idea. He won't force me to turn to the Dark Side if I don't want to."

"Oh, Luke." Obi-Wan was shaking his head. "You must find your own path, of course. But I fear you will be disappointed if you place your faith in Darth Vader. He is a servant of the Dark Side."

"There's good in him," Luke insisted. "He is my father."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, looking particularly pained. "Padmé felt the same way. Then he broke her heart when he turned on her. Your mother, Luke. Anakin loved her so much, he would have given up everything for her. Vader saw her only as a possession. I fear he sees you the same way."

"You're wrong," Luke insisted. "Maybe if the Jedi had supported him more, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe if you'd tried to help him after it happened, instead of fighting him, he wouldn't have ended up nearly dead and needing a respirator to breathe. Maybe he could have been with my mother when she gave birth to me, and she would have survived."

Obi-Wan didn't reply. He had a haunted look in his eyes.

"Listen, I don't want to argue about what anyone did in the past," Luke said, deciding he wouldn't get anywhere with this. "I know he did some terrible things. Maybe if I understood why he turned to the Dark Side, then I might understand how to avoid it myself."

The ghost looked away. "I asked myself that more times than you can possibly imagine."

"You weren't there?"

"No. Palpatine made sure of that."

"The last time you saw him, did he seem stressed about anything?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "It was a difficult time. His relationship with the Jedi Council had become very strained. They had asked him to spy on Palpatine and report back. I suspect Palpatine had asked him to report on the Jedi Council. He was attempting to test or divide his loyalties. I also realized later he must have been dealing with the knowledge that Padmé was pregnant, and knowing he would have to leave the Jedi Order."

"Leave? Why?"

"Jedi were not permitted to have spouses and children."

"Really? He never told me this," Luke said, feeling a sudden twist in his guts. "He said he was married to my mother for years."

"We always acted like I didn't know, but it was more than obvious to anyone close to him. He wasn't the only Jedi to have a secret relationship." Obi-Wan looked distant, lost in memories. "His happiness meant everything to me. So I didn't bring it up."

Luke rubbed his face, feeling an uncomfortable idea beginning to form. If his father knew he was about to be kicked out of the Jedi Order for fathering a child, then perhaps he felt he had nothing to lose by turning to the Dark Side and joining the Emperor. The thought made him feel both guilty at being the cause, even unknowingly, and also some resentment. How could his father ally himself with someone so evil, when he knew his wife and son needed him?

He stared at the door, imagining what his father's reaction would be if he confronted him about all this. It didn't bear thinking about. None of it did.

"He'll return soon," Luke said. "I'm supposed to be doing mental exercises."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Your father never enjoyed those either."

Luke stared at the ghost, curiously. "You taught my father to use the Force, right? Everything he knows, just about?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"Did he ever struggle to push a table across the room?"

"Your father rarely struggled with anything. Apart from controlling his reckless impulses."

"I feel like there's something I'm just not getting."

"Well, you have only been learning for a few weeks. I taught your father for ten years. But perhaps you are going about it the wrong way. It is all in the perception. Our point of view greatly influences what we can achieve."

"What do you mean?"

"Your logical mind sees the size and weight of the table, and convinces you that it will require great exertion to be moved. You need to learn a whole new way of thinking. The Force does not require great physical effort. Close your eyes, let go of your conscious self, and let the Force move the table. You are only a conduit."

"You make it sound so easy," Luke said, closing his eyes.

"It is easy. Believe it. Imagine yourself doing it, and then do it."

Luke visualized himself shoving the table into the wall. His father would be proud of him if he managed to do this. His good mood would make their inevitable discussion about the Dark Side easier.

The Force began to swirl around him, in response to his call. _Remember_ , he thought, _it's not me moving the table. It is the Force. I'm just a pathway._

His heart began to beat faster, so he leaned back and breathed deeply. He wasn't supposed to be exerting any effort. All he had to do was lift his hand, and imagine the table bouncing into the wall, and—

The crash echoed in Luke's ears, and he jumped to his feet.

"I did it! Did you see that?"

"See what, Master Luke?"

Luke glanced from the now vacant armchair to the doorway, where Jaytee had arrived carrying a tray.

"This," Luke said, stretching out an arm towards the droid. The tray rose into the air. "I think I'm getting the hang of it."

Jaytee took a few hasty steps backward.

* * *

When Vader returned to the training room, he found Luke was sitting at the table with Jaytee, while Artoo and Threepio stood watch. He was playing cards. And not just any card game, but the staple of gamblers and con-artists the galaxy over. Sabacc. He stood a few meters behind Luke and folded his arms, waiting to see how long it would take his son to notice his presence.

"Your move," Luke said.

Jaytee placed a card on the stack. Artoo made a warning whistle.

"Is that it?" Luke asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

"That is my choice, Master Luke."

"Okay ... if you say so," Luke said, slowly and deliberately.

Vader made a quick analysis of Luke's cards, noting he had a very good hand. He could easily win this. Instead, he sat staring at Jaytee, tapping his fingers on the table.

"I believe it is your turn, Master Luke," Jaytee said.

"Arg!" Luke said, standing up and tossing his cards down. "She's worse at this than you two combined."

Artoo made a rude beep.

"I did tell you that sabacc was not in my specified functions, Master Luke."

Luke groaned in annoyance, and then turned around. His frown quickly turned into a slightly guilty looking smile.

"Uh ... hi!"

"Sabacc?" Vader enquired.

"Just a short break," Luke explained.

"So I take it you are now a master of telekinesis, that you can afford to waste time?"

"Well, I have made a lot of progress," Luke said, turning around. He pushed the table off to the side to demonstrate.

"Oh my," Threepio said, while Artoo whistled in amazement.

Despite his annoyance, Vader was impressed. Luke had done that with the ease of a far more experienced Force-adept.

"Good. Now we will resume your blocking lessons."

"All right," Luke sighed. "You droids better get clear."

The two protocol droids moved for the door immediately, but Artoo remained, whistling and beeping in Vader's direction.

"Go on," Vader said, pointing at the door.

Artoo made a few more beeps, and then did as asked.

The second half of the lesson went far more smoothly, and soon Luke was able to easily block smaller objects. The tables and chairs required more work, but he was at least able to implement a twisting Force jump to avoid them. Most importantly, his attitude had improved, and he now seemed more confident in his own abilities.

The evening found them back in the dueling room, and Luke wearing a helmet with the blast shield down while he practiced deflecting stun bolts from multiple training drones. Vader watched with pride while he integrated some of the skills he'd learned in the telekinetic training, pushing a stun bolt away with the Force when he couldn't block it in time. He wasn't quite ready to block live blaster bolts, but it wouldn't be much longer.

After he'd gone through ten training remotes, Luke took off his helmet and looked at Vader in anticipation.

"You have done well today," he confirmed.

"Thanks for being patient," Luke said, smiling as he looked down.

"I believe you have earned some time to indulge in mindless entertainment. Tomorrow, you will rise at dawn and practice your telekinesis."

"Okay," Luke mumbled.

As Vader turned to leave, Luke said, "Um … Father?"

"What is it?"

Luke stared at him with a slightly pained expression, and then said, "Never mind. I … I'm going to go eat."

He left the room quickly then.

* * *

Luke had set an alarm for dawn, but he found it was unnecessary. His sleep had been broken with strange dreams he couldn't quite remember. His father had definitely been in them, and the ghost of Obi-Wan. And, for some reason, his younger, unmasked father as well. He had a vague feeling all three of them had been fighting over something.

Practicing his force jumps and falls did little to budge the deep feeling of unease that had settled in overnight. He couldn't keep delaying this. His connection to the Force was growing, and he could feel so much more now. See so much more. He was wary of meditation lest he find himself completely lost in the sensation of all the life on the island. And surrounding it all, a darkness that seemed to be calling to him. That seemed to want something from him.

When his father found him, he was sitting in the dining room, idly pushing his spoon into a bowl of porridge and attempting to eat some of it. Artoo sat nearby, making the odd concerned beep.

"Have you been practicing your telekinesis?" his father asked, standing opposite.

Luke started to nod, and then realized he wouldn't get away with that lie. "No," he amended. "I've been running through the obstacle course outside."

"You have mastered that already. You need to focus on your weak points. Hurry up and finish eating, and then join me."

Luke sighed, having a strong feeling he was in for another day of being pushed to his limits and then some.

He wasn't wrong. After a few hours of trying and mostly failing to block every last object his father tossed at him, Luke found himself lying flat on his back, pinned under a metal stool, and wishing he was allowed to have his lightsaber.

"Ow!" he complained, as his father moved to stand over him.

"You could easily have blocked that," his father said, pointing at him. He waved his hand, and the stool flew off and crashed into the wall. "What is wrong with you today?"

"Nothing," Luke said, standing up and brushing himself off.

"You are distracted."

"I'm not, I'm … maybe I should learn something else."

"No. You need to center yourself in the Force. You haven't been meditating."

Luke quickly raised his hands. "Let's go again. Please."

His father regarded him silently, while Luke tried to meet his gaze. Then he relented.

"Very well."

The thought of being made to meditate was really good motivation, and Luke closed his eyes and gathered as much of the Force as he could. Obi-Wan's advice about letting go of his conscious self filled his mind, and he began to feel everything slowing down as another chair spun through the air. He succeeded in throwing it back this time, but his father responded by sending a shelf flying towards him, even faster.

After successfully blocking ten objects in a row, his father finally gave him a rest.

"Good. You are learning how to focus. We will return to lightsaber practice this afternoon."

Luke brightened at this. He enjoyed that far more than blocking furniture missiles. But then his father added, "After you have eaten, you will go and meditate. Half an hour."

"Do I have to?" Luke said, putting his face in his hands.

"Yes. Do not argue."

"But can't I—"

"An hour."

"Okay, okay," Luke said. "Meditation. Why not."

* * *

Knowing his son as well as he did, Vader expected there was about a fifty percent chance of actually finding Luke meditating after he'd eaten his lunch. He had intended to check up on him earlier, but a fleet report from IMH had distracted him, and it was mid-afternoon by the time he left the ship. Still, even he was surprised to find his son in the library, now attempting to play sabacc with Artoo and Threepio. The droids were arguing with each other over the rules, and then Threepio started at his appearance, and dropped the cards on the floor, revealing the hand to Luke.

"Oh, stars," Luke said, covering his face.

"I'm sorry, Master Luke. These cards were not designed for—"

"Leave us," Vader said, pointing at the droids. Threepio quickly moved towards the exit. Artoo beeped a few remarks but followed.

When they were alone, Vader stared at Luke until his son began to feel nervous.

"I did meditate," Luke insisted.

"For an hour?"

Luke was quiet.

"You are not treating this with the level of importance it requires."

Luke frowned. "Fine, I'll try again." He dropped down to his knees to pick up the cards, but Vader pulled him back up.

"Use the Force."

"That's going to take forever," Luke said, floating one card into the air.

"It will if you do it one at a time. Focus. You can lift them all if you set your mind to it."

Luke closed his eyes, and managed to raise about ten of them into the air. Five of them made it to the table, but the rest fluttered back down. He tried again, but Vader could feel his frustration rising. After the fifth attempt, he turned away in a sulk.

"It's impossible."

"Impossible is now on the banned word list," his father said. "Go again, and this time, _concentrate_."

"Let's see you do it, oh exalted Lord of the Force," Luke said, in a tone Vader hadn't heard in a while.

His son turned back and folded his arms in anticipation.

"Very well," Vader said, deciding they could be here for another hour if he forced the issue. He stretched out a hand, and the cards swirled into the air like a mini-whirlwind. The structure fluttered up towards the table, and then Vader guided them into a neat pack.

"Show off," Luke mumbled, while pretending to clear his throat.

"What is this mood about?" Vader asked, choosing to ignore the childish rudeness.

Luke turned away. "Nothing."

"Then we will proceed to the dueling room. I believe you are ready to fight a duelling droid today."

Luke looked up, his interest piqued. "Really?"

"If you can beat one, I may let you play another game of cards with the droids."

"Is that punishment or a reward?" Luke asked, following him into the corridor. "How about if _you_ play sabacc with me?"

"That is a game for gamblers and criminals," Vader said, derisively.

"Are you telling me you don't remember how to play?" Luke asked, sounding amused.

"Of course—" Vader paused outside the entrance to the duelling room, considering. Luke was staring up at him in anticipation. "Very well. If you beat the duelling droid, I will play one game of sabacc with you."

"Is this a deal? One that you're not going to alter?"

"You will have to wait and see," Vader said, enjoying Luke's pained expression.

* * *

After a few warm-up bouts, Vader moved over to the droid storage crate. Luke paced up and down in the center of the room, and Vader could sense him taking measures to stay calm. Luke's biggest problem was his fear—an irrational fear of the droid that had damaged him as a child. If only he could channel that fear into power ...

"I will intervene if you get into difficulty," Vader said, switching a droid into ready mode. It clanked forward slowly, and Vader moved to the side of the room. "Once you switch on your lightsaber, it will start attacking you."

"I remember that part," Luke said. His voice sounded strained. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then raised his blade. The blue light glowed across his face, reflecting in his eyes.

The droid immediately switched on its own blade and assumed an attack stance.

The first few minutes passed with little incident. Luke circled the droid, only using his blade to parry the droid's simple attacks. It was set to the lowest skill level, so its manoeuvres were easy to predict. His son was displaying good footwork and blocking, but little else.

"You will not defeat the droid by evading it," Vader said, finally. "It will not wear out like a living opponent."

"I know!" Luke said.

He made an attempt to strike the droid's arm, but it was blocked easily. Instead of following up, Luke stepped back, and the circling resumed.

There was a stark difference between this and Luke's behavior when he was duelling with him. Then, his son behaved like Fode chasing after a bone, throwing himself into it with passion and recklessness.

After another five minutes, Luke began to grow in confidence, seeming to realize he wasn't about to lose another hand. He traded a few more blows with the droid, and then executed a well-aimed strike at the droid's right knee.

He missed, but blocked the droid's follow up attack, and then took a risk by making a sudden swipe at its head. He missed again, leaving his shoulder wide open in the process.

"Careful," Vader said, stepping forward with concern.

Luke dodged the droid's attack, and glanced at him in annoyance.

"I can handle it!"

The old circling resumed. Luke appeared to have lost some confidence at his failed attempt at a quick defeat. The droid began to advance, and Luke moved backwards towards the far end of the room.

Vader shifted to keep up with him, just in time to see the droid take a swipe at Luke's left side. His son parried, and then followed up with a quick riposte. It would have succeeded, but he had not stepped forward far enough.

"You're distracting me," Luke said, after circling the droid once again. "Do you have to analyse my every move?"

"I am merely standing here."

"You're judging me!"

"Focus on your opponent, not on me."

Luke ducked to avoid another attack by the droid, and then took several steps backward. The droid followed and executed a series of textbook attacks. Luke blocked them easily, but still did not follow up.

"We will be here until sundown unless you stop assuming the defensive," Vader said. "The droid is in complete control of this duel."

Anger filled his son's Force presence, and Vader was pleased to see him reaching for it, channelling it into an attack. The defensive hesitation had gone, replaced with determined aggression. The droid began to falter as Luke forced it back with one attack after another. It made a hasty violent strike at Luke's chest, which only provoked his son further. Vader watched in fascination as his son flipped over its head, and then wildly hacked at the droid, slicing through its left arm. The appendage was left dangling uselessly, and the droid instantly compensated, wielding its weapon one-handed.

"Ha!" Luke said. "How does it feel when you lose an arm?!"

The droid responded with more attacks, which Luke parried easily. He then took one hand off his lightsaber and pointed at the severed droid arm, flinging it at the droid's right shoulder. As it turned, distracted by the object, Luke swung the saber back over his left shoulder and sliced off its head in a single fluid movement. He jumped back as the droid fell forward, impaling itself on its own lightsaber.

"Good," Vader said, moving forward to retrieve the droid's lightsaber, which was sticking dangerously out of its back.

Luke quickly whirled around, his saber brandished in a threatening position. Out of pure reflex, Vader reached for his own weapon. His hand fell back halfway there, and he stared at Luke in surprise. The cold anger in his blue eyes was starkly out of place. He didn't look right, not like his usual self.

"Son?" Vader said, calmly.

Luke shook his head as if waking up from a dream. He glanced down at his blade, staring at it curiously for a moment, and then switched it off.

"That wasn't so hard," he said, rubbing his head.

"You did well," Vader said, studying Luke. He appeared pale. "Are you feeling all right?"

Luke appeared pained for a moment, as if struggling with some internal conflict. Vader reached out, attempting to link, but Luke brushed him off.

"I'm fine." He grinned, and some of the light returned to his eyes. "You owe me a sabacc game!"

* * *

The setting sun was streaming in through the library windows, bathing all the wall carvings in a gentle orange glow. It was a pleasant atmosphere to have a game of cards, and Luke was relieved to be doing something that didn't involve having furniture flying through the air or killer droids. How often did they have the opportunity to do something like this on Coruscant? Almost never. Even if they tried, there would always be the Empire interrupting.

Luke studied his cards, seeing he had a fairly good hand. He glanced at his father, wondering if his cards were better or worse. Something was telling him his father had a set of two pairs. Maybe he should pick up first, and see if he could beat that.

"Wait a second," Luke said, suddenly realizing something. "You can't tell what my cards are, can you?"

"Only as far as you can see mine," his father said, rearranging them.

Luke groaned, dumping his cards on the table. "Why didn't I think of this?"

"It is of no importance," his father said.

"Yes it is. There's no point playing now ... you've got two pair. You'll win easily."

"If winning is that important to you, I will allow you to win."

"You're worse than Jaytee!" Luke complained. "It's not the winning, it's the competition."

"Why don't we deal again?" Vader suggested, gathering up the cards. "This time, do not use the Force. If you concentrate on your own cards, we will not have this problem."

"That's the first time you've told me _not_ to use the Force since we got here," Luke said, grinning.

The new game proceeded with few problems, and Luke won the first round with little effort. As he dealt the second round, Luke began to wonder if now was a good time to bring up the Dark Side. His father was in a good mood, by his standards, and it would be easy enough to change the subject if things didn't go well. Maybe he should start with the relatively less weighty subject of the Death Star.

"I was feeling frustrated before," Luke said, selecting a card.

"I noticed."

"The truth is, there has been a lot on my mind. We've been too busy with the training to really talk about things."

"I have given you several opportunities."

"I know, but …" Luke stared at his cards, and then realized he just had to quit stalling and get to the point. "Could I ask you something about the Empire?"

"Proceed."

"Well, I've been hearing about this project. I was wondering how you felt about it."

"Which project?"

"A battle station that can destroy planets," Luke said, casually.

His father stared at him blankly for a few moments, and then put down his cards.

"Where did you hear about that?"

His tone was a mix of surprise and annoyance.

"Forget it," Luke said, quickly.

"No. Tell me."

Luke waved a hand. "Everybody knows."

"Everybody does not know. It is a highly secret project. Who told you about it?"

"I don't remember. I probably overheard it mentioned at the palace. Anyway, it's your turn."

His father was tapping his fingers against the table. "Senator Organa," he said, ominously.

"Senators have a right to know if the Emperor is going to start destroying their planets," Luke said, annoyed. "How can you let him build something like that? It's terrible."

"It is not my decision to make. And you would be wise to keep your opinions about it to yourself, young one."

"I'm not going to pretend that I like it! We're talking about something that could kill billions and billions of innocent people. I hope the Rebels destroy it."

"Such comments are likely to get you killed, should the Emperor hear of them," his father said, pointing at him.

"That's another thing," Luke continued. "No one has any freedom. He wants the entire galaxy to obey him without question. He orders you and the military to destroy anyone who doesn't instantly comply. No wonder there's a Rebellion."

"And this is what Senator Organa has been feeding you?"

"This has nothing to do with her," Luke said. "This is my opinion."

"Then your _opinion_ will have to change. When we return to Coruscant, the Emperor will be completing your training. If you give him any reason to doubt your loyalty, your life will come to a very quick end."

Luke was silent, trying to get his head around what he'd just heard. The Emperor ... completing his training? No, his father couldn't be serious.

"If you cannot keep your idealism in check, then you must learn to feign loyalty, at least."

Luke met his father's gaze for a moment, and then stared fixedly down at the table surface.

"He's a monster," Luke said, finally. "He's already attacked me once. You're going to ask me to be loyal to someone who will electrocute me if I don't do what he says?"

"I do not have a choice."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Luke said, standing up and shoving his chair aside. "He was right. He's been trying to warn me, and I defended you, but this whole time, he was right. You've been lying to me since we met!"

Luke stormed off towards the balcony, not knowing if he could stand to hear any more. Even the thought of spending time with the Emperor was making him nauseous. How could his father do this to him? The man he trusted ... the man he'd defended when Obi-Wan tried to tell him the truth.

Luke gripped the balcony railing, glaring at the distant ocean. He should have had this conversation earlier. He should have confronted his father as soon as Obi-Wan told him. Now he'd let things drag on ... and he'd used his anger to channel the Force again, despite his best efforts to avoid it.

"Are you going to enlighten me as to what I have supposedly lied to you about?"

Luke glanced up, surprised to find his father had joined him.

"Does the _Dark Side_ sound familiar?" Luke asked.

His father stared at him in silence for a few moments. Luke stared back, waiting for an answer.

"Where did you hear that term?" he asked, sounding like he was struggling very hard to stay calm.

"Obi-Wan."

"Obi-Wan is dead!"

"He can appear as a ghost."

"A ghost?! Are you insane?"

"He said there are two sides to the Force. Anger leads to the Dark Side, and once you choose it, there's no going back. You were trying to make me use it without telling me what the consequences were!"

"Don't believe one word he says," his father said, pointing at him. "He is a liar!"

"He told me the truth!"

"So you hear one viewpoint and think it is the truth?"

"So there's no such thing as the Dark Side? It's all the same?"

"No. There are two sides to the Force. One is a weak side and one is a powerful side. That is the only difference."

"Well, thanks all the same, but I'm sticking with the weak side," Luke said. "At least that doesn't involve selling my soul to the Emperor!"

"Then the Emperor will kill you."

"While you stand by and watch?!"

"I am not powerful enough to protect you! Obi-Wan saw to that."

"No, you just won't disobey him," Luke said. "You're his slave!"

His father loomed over him like a black cloud, blocking out the sun. The Force flared with his anger.

"How _dare_ you call me that."

"Obi-Wan was right to hide me! My life would be better if I'd never left—"

He choked on the last word. He couldn't breathe. His chest muscles strained against the obstruction, but only a faint cry came out of his throat.

His hands automatically reached for his neck, and he looked up at his father in wide-eyed shock.

A second later, his father released him, and Luke fell back against the wall, gasping in air as quickly as his sore throat could take it. Then there were gloved hands on his arms, dragging him upright. He shoved them away and sprinted for the exit, using the Force to enhance his speed.

* * *

Nothing was left standing in the library and the droids had long since taken refuge in the basement, but still his anger wasn't spent. Vader paced up and down amid the remains of the table, cursing himself for losing his temper. From the day Luke had moved in, he had sworn he would never harm his son. He couldn't even keep a promise to himself. There was nothing he despised more than failure, and this was a failure of galactic proportions.

How was he going to remedy this situation? An apology wasn't anywhere near enough. Buying him a personal Star Destroyer wouldn't be nearly enough. Luke was one of the most forgiving people in the galaxy, but what he'd done was beyond forgiveness. Their relationship could be finished for good.

It was all Obi-Wan's fault. Ghost or not, he was going to pay for this. How dare he talk to his son behind his back? Turning him against his own father ... teaching him to fear the Dark Side. Corrupting him with Jedi teachings!

In a moment, he was wandering the rooms, searching for any hint of an abnormality in the Force. But how did one find a ghost? Until today, he didn't even know this was possible. More secrets the Jedi had purposely kept from him.

When he entered the vast entrance hall, he stopped, hearing a noise.

"Obi-Wan ..."

He followed the sound, but it only revealed Fode and Beed, sleeping together in a fading ray of sun. Fode glanced up at his arrival, and then went back to sleep, head resting against Beed's flank. Gentle snores resumed.

How pleasant to be a dumb animal, oblivious to the drama going on here this afternoon. There were few times he'd envied his pets more.

A tremor in the Force caused Vader to turn around. A pale blue form stood against the far wall, clearer than a hologram. Obi-Wan, but younger than he'd last seen him.

"You! How dare you fill my son's head with your lies?!"

Obi-Wan didn't reply.

"You turned him against me!"

"No one could ever do that. He loves you. More than you do him, if today is any judge."

"I have done a better job of protecting him than you ever did!"

"You are planning to hand him over to Palpatine. You know what he will do to him. Is that what you truly want?"

"If I don't, he will kill him. I am saving his life. Once Luke is strong enough, he and I will kill Palpatine, and rule the galaxy together! We will achieve galactic order and peace."

"Do you really believe that? Have you learned _nothing_ after all these years of war? You will _never_ have peace while your Empire of oppression still rules with an iron fist."

"You never did have any faith in me, Obi-Wan."

"Listen to me, Ana—whatever your name is now. If you feel anything for your son—even the smallest spark of love—then you must realize you cannot do this. He is an innocent boy! Not a tool to satisfy your lust for power. You must take him as far away from Palpatine as you can."

"So you can train him to kill me? I see through your Jedi hypocrisy, Obi-Wan. The only reason you ever showed interest in my son was because you intended to use his power as a weapon against me."

"And why do you imagine Palpatine has allowed you to train Luke? So you can all be one big happy Sith family?"

"He underestimates my son if he believes Luke will side with him."

"Or perhaps you underestimate what the Dark Side will do to Luke. You think he'll still love you after spending time with Palpatine? Lest we forget, you cared for me once. You once loved his mother."

"And I still did!"

"That's not how I recall your final moments together."

Vader snarled with anger and reached for his lightsaber. Halfway through the gesture, he realized it wouldn't do any good. Would the suffering the Jedi inflicted on him never end?!

"If you still imagine turning to the Dark Side won't change Luke, consider this," Obi-Wan said, turning to stare out a nearby window. "The Anakin we both knew would have died rather than see his son hurt. He placed his life at risk to save the sons of people he'd never met. _You_ don't even know where Luke is now."

"He is no concern of yours! Never speak to him again."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Stop talking about my son!"

"Not that you ever listened to me, but if I were you, I would start thinking about where he is."

Vader was about to reply, but Obi-Wan had gone. What was he talking about? Luke would be sulking in his bunk, feeling angry and afraid over what happened. Or maybe he was hiding in the basement with the droids.

The mechanical buzz of droid gears filled the room, and he turned to find Artoo and Threepio coming out of the stairwell. Artoo launched into a flurry of accusatory beeps.

"Have you seen Luke?!" Vader demanded.

"I'm afraid that's what we've come to tell you, sir," Threepio said. "He ran off towards the jungle, and we have not seen him return."

Vader stretched out, testing the droid's story. It was indeed true. Of all the stupid, reckless things to do ... and so Skywalkingly typical.

Artoo chirped and whistled and began rolling towards the exit.

"No, wait here," Vader said, pulling him back. "You and Threepio will alert me if he returns. I will go and find him."

* * *

Luke sat down on a rotting tree branch, trying to untangle some vine from his boot. Far behind, there was a soggy expanse that almost put Tatooine's Dune Sea to shame for sheer barrenness. Now, he was at the edge of a thick forest and the retreat had disappeared behind a rocky outcrop long ago. Where to now? He turned around, squinting between the shadowy trees. The forest looked far from inviting, but where else was he going to go?

He rubbed his sore neck angrily.

"Why is my life so crazy?" he said to the air. "And why, out of all the fathers in the galaxy, did I have to end up with him?!"

The only answer was a chilling, hissing noise from the branches of an overhead tree. He stood up in fright, moving quickly forwards into the forest. He didn't want to know exactly what creature was making that noise.

As he made his way through the dense and thorny undergrowth, he began to wonder if Fode and Beed had any wild relatives. So far he had only seen them hunt at night, which meant he was safe for now. Before it grew dark, he would find a cave to spend the night.

After another twenty minutes of fighting through vines, Luke collapsed under a tree with exhaustion. The earlier fight with the dueling droid had already drained him, not to mention the stress of arguing with his father. He needed rest. And a drink. But he hadn't thought to bring any water, and this dark jungle had yet to reveal any streams. He'd been so angry he hadn't thought to bring anything. Not the best decision he'd ever made.

Luke closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree trunk. The ground under his fingers was sandy, and it reminded him of Tatooine. Maybe he'd gone mad with thirst, but he'd give anything to be there right now.

A scuffling noise put an end to his brief rest, and he stood up, quickly scanning the nearby undergrowth. It was getting dark, and he couldn't see anything. Maybe he should try using the Force.

As soon as he reached for the energy field, he was met with such a tide of sensory input he quickly drew back. These trees were teeming with life.

The rustling noise sounded again, and this time Luke pinpointed the location. A lifeform shaped like a dinner plate came scuttling out from under a nearby bush. It had millions of tiny feet underneath, making it appear to float along the ground. A long, snake-like neck protruded from the center, with a narrow jawed mouth on the end.

Luke smirked. "Hello," he said. "You're not so dangerous, are you? You're almost cute, in a really weird way."

It made the same hissing noise he'd heard earlier. The wide-open mouth gave Luke a good look at its teeth. Definitely not a herbivore. Maybe he should move on.

He took one step to move around it, and it quickly scuttled sideways to block his path. Luke tried to step backwards, but it suddenly launched through the air, ending up clinging to his chest.

"Ah!"

He tripped backwards in his haste to pry it off, but three extra heads came twisting out from underneath the shell. All four mouths were drooling in anticipation of a meal.

One of the heads thrust forward, and he brought his arm up to protect his face. The next thing he felt was a pair of jaws clamping down on his wrist.

"Arg!"

The pain grew worse as he struggled to tear it free. Another mouth came twisting around, reaching for his throat. Luke desperately thumped it with his left fist, as hard as he could. He must have caught the creature in a vulnerable spot, because it let go, momentarily. Luke crawled to his feet, grabbing a nearby stick.

The thing had recovered quickly, and was now crouching down as if it was going to jump again. It shuffled left and right, trying to get around his stick, before finally grabbing it in one of its mouths and ripping it from his hand.

Luke was about to turn and run for his life, but he felt a sudden grip on his ankle. He kicked out in fear, and found another thing dangling from his left boot. This one was even bigger than the first. More hissing filled the air behind him, and Luke felt something land on his back, even as the one on his foot managed to crawl up his leg.

He sunk to his knees, trying to crush it into the ground, while desperately trying to use a Force push on the one on his back. The only result was another bite to his right arm. Another two things were rushing out of the bushes in front of him, and he jumped back, only to trip over the discarded stick. They were immediately on top of him, waving mouths, feet, snake-like necks and fangs everywhere.

This was bad.

_Snap-hiss!_

Before his heart had finished another panicked beat, the creatures had vanished. He sat up in surprise. They were all lying nearby, millions of fibrous feet waving uselessly in the air. Two black boots stepped into view, followed by the edge of a black cape. Luke lifted his gaze and found a glowing red saber was moving determinedly towards the creatures.

He turned his head away at the last minute, but was still treated to the sounds of the resulting dissection.

When his father had finished, he switched off his lightsaber, and gestured back towards the bushes he'd emerged from. A survival pack came floating through the air and stopped to rest beside him. Luke hastily struggled to his feet, as his father began to walk towards him.

"Go away," Luke said. His head became dizzy and he fell back into a sitting position.

"You are injured," his father said, crouching down beside his badly mauled arm.

"So what," Luke said, looking away and cradling his arm close to his body. "Leave me alone!"

"What in the galaxy possessed you to venture out into this dangerous environment?!" his father said, extracting a medical kit from the survival pack. "If I had arrived one minute later, you would have become a permanent part of the ecosystem."

"If I had stayed inside one minute longer I would have been unconscious!" Luke found himself shaking at the memory. "You tried to kill me!"

"If I had tried to kill you, you would be dead," his father reasoned, taking out a roll of bandages and disinfectant.

"I'm fine," Luke said, attempting to shuffle away. The movement jolted his arm however, and his father clearly didn't miss his wince of pain.

"We have no time for your stubbornness. The sun has nearly set and we must return inside before nightfall."

"I would rather remain here than stay there with _you_ ," Luke said.

"I think not," his father said, finally winning the tug-of-war with the injured arm. "The Four-Jawed Lygun Crab eats its prey alive. From the inside out."

"Better than putting up with you," Luke said, cringing as his father wrapped the bandage tightly around his wound.

"I see it was foolish of me to expect you to remain civilized for an entire month."

"It wasn't _me_ who tried to strangle _you_ ," Luke protested.

His father chose not to reply. He merely sealed the bandage, and then stood, returning the medical pack to the survival kit.

"Come, we must hurry. We can discuss this properly when we have reached safety."

Luke struggled to his feet, and then sunk down again as his vision became blurry. His father grabbed him under the arms, supporting him.

"Can you walk?" he asked, sounding almost concerned.

"I'm fine," Luke said, angrily. "Just tired. It's none of your business, anyway. Have you got any water?"

"You didn't even bring _water_?"

His father produced a canteen from the survival pack, and Luke drank until it was empty. Who knew water could taste so wonderful? His father took back the empty flask, and Luke moved on quickly. He could hear his father following behind.

They walked in silence for ten minutes. Luke finally stopped when he sensed his father was no longer behind him. The realization caused a sudden surge of fear, and he turned around, squinting back through the trees. It was now twilight, and the light was fading fast. The thought of being out here at night was too much for Luke, despite his earlier words.

"Father!" he called.

In a few seconds, his father's black form emerged from the undergrowth, illuminated by the blade of his lightsaber.

"What was it?!"

"A gargoyle. Out for an early hunt. We must hurry."

Luke nodded, continuing his journey forward. There was a strange noise in the distance, which stirred his curiosity. It sounded like wind rushing through a canyon. It grew louder the further they walked.

"What is that noise?" Luke asked, eventually.

"Follow me, and we will walk up onto the ridge." His father turned sideways, hacking a path through the vines with his lightsaber.

Luke struggled up the steep incline, drawing on his last reserves of energy. At the top, he rested on a nearby rock, struggling to see through the dim light. The forest ended after another fifty meters, giving rise to the pale white sands of the beach. Beyond that ... water! The noise he had heard—it was the sea!

"Are we lost?" Luke asked. "I never passed the sea! I remember passing over a wide stretch of soggy ground."

"The sea bed," his father explained. "The tide has come in and we have been cut off from the retreat."

Luke stood up and saw that his father was right. "Can't we build a raft? It isn't that far across."

"The sea is rough through the channel, and even a spray of water would burn your skin."

"What are we going to do then? " Luke asked. He'd never known his father to be lost for ideas.

"We will have to remain here," his father said, sounding very weary. "It appears you will have your father-son camping trip."

Despite his still sore neck, Luke couldn't resist baiting his father. He grinned up at the dark silhouette beside him. "Can we toast survival rations over a fire?"

"Now is not the time for your optimism," his father said, pointing at him. "We must find a suitable location."

The loud moan of something dying came from the jungle below, and Luke shivered. "How about down on the beach?" he suggested. "That way it will be easier to spot approaching predators."

"Very well," his father agreed.

They made their way down from the ridge, and Luke stayed close to his father. It was growing darker by the minute and it was pitch black down under the canopy. Luke wanted to use a light he'd found in the survival kit, but his father explained it would only attract curious predators. They soon emerged out onto the beach, and Luke gathered some driftwood. His father found a suitable camping spot between two washed up logs, twenty meters from the high tide mark.

Luke gladly climbed down into the sand. The violent ocean winds were cutting right through his tunic and making him shiver with cold. Fortunately he found an insulating blanket in the survival pack, along with a laser light. His father scoured the beach for any danger, and then joined Luke at the campsite.

"This wood won't stay lit!" Luke said, tossing the laser light aside in frustration.

"Not surprising, in such wind. It is unnecessary, let it go."

"This isn't a camp unless we have a campfire," Luke said, glaring at the wood in frustration. As if in response, it suddenly flared up.

"Now, where are the survival rations?" Luke said. "I'm starving!"

"Such things tend to happen when you venture outdoors without food or water," his father said, sitting down cross-legged on the other side of the fire.

Luke chose not to respond. He munched on a bland, rectangular biscuit, drawing the blanket tightly around his body. He was just beginning to feel drowsy, when another low moan wailed through the night air.

"Do you think that legend about Darth whatsisname's ghost is true?" Luke asked, quietly.

"I do not wish to talk about ghosts, real or otherwise," his father said, darkly.

"I wonder what it's like," Luke said, after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Being a ghost. I'd love to come back as a ghost."

"Why?"

"Think of all the things you could do ... all the people you could haunt. Would you ever come back as a ghost?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I do not see the point."

"You have no sense of fun," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"You will have to forgive me if my sense of fun is absent. I must have left it back in civilization."

"It could be a lot worse, you know," Luke said, staring at the small flame dancing in the middle of the campfire.

"I do not see how our situation could possibly be worse."

Ominously, the wind dropped, causing his father's words to echo into the night air.

"Don't say that," Luke said, taking another bite of his food. "Or something's going to happen."

"I do not believe in such foolish superstitions."

The first spit of rain caused the fire to flicker and die immediately.

* * *

"This is all your fault!" Luke said, glaring at the steady drizzle.

They had abandoned their camp for a nearby cave. Though it was not so much a cave, in Vader's opinion, but a crack in a cliff wall. It had two walls that drew together at a sharp angle, and a rocky, uneven roof. There was barely enough room for the two of them and the survival pack.

"I was not the one who recklessly ventured out into this environment in the first place," Vader replied.

"It was your idea to come here," Luke countered. "You never told me it was a hellhole of a death-trap planet."

"Where exactly did you expect a Sith retreat to be located?"

"And this is the order you want me to join," Luke said, derisively.

"It is not a matter of wanting. It is your destiny."

"I don't believe in destiny," Luke said, turning around to face him. "I believe in choices. If you cared about me, you would let me make my own decisions, no matter what the Emperor says."

"It is because I ... it is because of that, I insist that you obey the Emperor. I do not want you to be killed."

"Sure," Luke said, sarcastically.

Vader felt his patience wear thin. He struggled to calm himself; he did not want a repeat of that afternoon's accident.

"Luke," he said, keeping his voice steady, "we are stuck in this confined space for the entire night. I am not going to spend that time arguing with you. Unless you have anything intelligent to say, don't say it."

"Or what?" Luke said, taking a step backwards. "You'll choke me again? I'm safer out in the rain."

Luke began to leave, but Vader stepped forward and pulled him back. In a typical fashion, his son fought against his grip, but Vader pinned him against the cave wall.

"Stop it," Vader said. "Before your stubbornness gets you killed. You cannot spend the night in the rain. You will die from exposure."

The rain became heavier, and it became impossible to see out the cave entrance. Certain he was no longer going to leave, Vader released Luke and sat down against the wall. His son also sat down, but as close to the cave exit as he could manage without getting wet. He sat with his back to Vader, staring out at the rain, head resting on his hand.

Vader watched him in silence. He was struck by the thought that this might be the last time he would ever spend time alone with Luke like this. After they returned to Coruscant, they would both be too busy for quiet time together. How typical of their relationship that they were spending this last opportunity stewing over their latest conflict.

Perhaps he should say something.

"Luke."

There was no response. Vader reached out along their bond, being careful to mask his presence. He wouldn't be able to spy on his son's feelings for much longer, given the rate Luke's Force abilities were growing, so he might as well make the most of it. Emotions began to pour over their bond, and Vader quickly drew back, but not before receiving a large dose of Luke's troubled mind. Lingering resentment ... betrayal mixed with humiliation ... and _fear_. Stars, what had he done? He had hurt his own son ... their child he had sworn to protect.

But there was a voice in his mind that always argued whenever he felt anything resembling guilt.

 _He shouldn't have called you a slave_.

It was a surprisingly weak argument from a voice that was usually so unfailingly logical. How could Luke have known? It was something he had never planned to burden him with. But now, it had to be said, and he only had himself to blame.

"Son, there is something I must tell you. However, it is not an easy thing to say."

Luke glanced over his shoulder, at last appearing semi-interested. "You're admitting to finding something difficult? What?"

Vader was silent, trying to decide how to phrase his thoughts. It was hard to say this without seeming like he was trying to justify his violence towards Luke. That would only make the situation worse, if that were possible.

"Is this about your plans for my future again?" Luke asked, suspicious.

"No. It is about my past. You know I spent the first ten years of my life on Tatooine?"

"Yes. With your mother."

"We were slaves."

Luke quickly shuffled around until he was facing him. Vader met his surprised gaze, waiting for his response. It never came. His son only stared with his mouth hanging slightly open, clearly in a state of disbelief.

"Slavery was rife on Tatooine in those days," Vader continued. "The Hutts thrived on the slave trade and other criminal activities. They were a powerful force in the Outer Rim. My mother was kidnapped by pirates at a young age and sold into slavery. A few years after I was born, we were sold to Gardulla the Hutt. She lost us some time later to a Toydarian junk dealer. I was freed after meeting a Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn, who brought me to Coruscant."

After another few moments of silence, Luke spoke up.

"And your mother?"

"She was freed a few years after I left, by your Uncle Owen's father."

Luke dropped his gaze, and began fidgeting with the rocks on the cave floor. "I'm sorry," he said, eventually. "I didn't know any of this ... I would never have said, what I said, had I known."

"It was no excuse for losing my temper," Vader said. "For that, I am sorry. I do not expect you to forgive me ... I don't deserve your forgiveness. I only want you to know that I regret it."

"Well ..." A smile suddenly lit up Luke's face. "I always knew I'd push you over the edge one day."

"It was not your fault!"

He had spoken harshly without meaning to, and Luke's smile faded. He continued fidgeting awkwardly with the rocks, stacking them up on top of each other.

"The last thing I wish is for you to blame yourself for my weaknesses," Vader added, making an effort to remain calm. "And there are many ... far more than you know. If I was stronger, you would not have to obey Palpatine. You and I would be ruling the galaxy— _together_. But all is not lost yet ... it only requires your temporary pretence at loyalty to the Emperor. Then, once your skills are complete, we can finally be rid of him. We will bring a new era of order to the galaxy. Everything will be how _we_ want it to be."

"I don't want to rule the galaxy," Luke said, quietly.

"You want to see it continue under Palpatine? You called him a monster."

"No! But not me ... I'm not cut out for this. I want a normal life. I don't want to be responsible for a quadrillion people. I've got a better idea ... why don't we leave all this behind? We could go somewhere where he'd never find us."

"You know that is not possible. It is your burden and your privilege, Son, to never have a normal life. Do not try to fight against the Force."

For once, Luke didn't give him the disparaging look that usually followed any mention of higher things. His gaze became blank for a moment, and then he suddenly stood up, brushing off the sand from the cave floor.

"You're right. I was just being selfish. I'll pretend to be loyal to the Emperor if that's what you want. It will be hard, but it's my responsibility. No one else will ever have a chance at defeating him."

"It is not what I want," Vader said, feeling a stirring of parental pride at Luke's bravery. He could only hope he would find the same strength when the time came to present his newly trained son to his master as an apprentice. He could only hope he had taught him enough to protect himself.

"It is an unfortunate necessity," he continued, staring blankly into the pouring rain. "Due to my past failures. I am sorry, Luke. You were right when you said your life would be better if we'd never met. It is a cruel reality that has given you me for a father."

"What?!" Luke sat down beside him, staring in disbelief. "Don't say that! It doesn't matter to me—it doesn't matter what mistakes you've made. I'm proud to be your son. I'd still be proud if you were still a slave."

"The rain is starting to ease," Vader said, deciding it was time to change the subject. Luke had a knack for saying things that disturbed him.

Luke glanced at the cave entrance. "I don't see any difference," he said.

There was a peaceful silence for a while, and Vader began to feel more comfortable. Perhaps he should suggest it was time Luke went to sleep. A sleeping son could not stir up memories of someone else who had been far too forgiving.

He was about to make his proposal, when Luke began talking again.

"I wish we had always been together. Sure, I loved Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, but my uncle never really understood me. He never understood why I wanted to fly, or why I didn't want to be a farmer for the rest of my life."

Vader watched as Luke drew patterns in the sand, recalling similar frustrations in his own youth. Until Luke had come along, he'd never imagined meeting someone who understood the joy of that first post-modification test flight. He was on the verge of sharing the thought with Luke, but his son was again speaking. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Father?"

"What?"

"Why did you choose the Dark Side?"

Vader was caught off guard by the unexpected question. More of Obi-Wan's doing, that his son would ask such a thing. But it was too late to change it now.

"What did Obi-Wan tell you?"

"That he blames himself for leaving you alone with Palpatine."

"Obi-Wan is not to be trusted."

Luke was quiet for a moment, but he didn't look away. "You tried to explain this to me once before, but I was too young to really understand. Now I'm not. You can tell me the truth, even if it will hurt me."

When Vader didn't answer, Luke looked down. "You said you needed new powers to protect me and my mother. Was the Emperor threatening us?"

"You should be more cautious, Son. Once you hear something, it cannot be unheard."

"I want to know the truth."

After another long silence, Vader spoke. "Anakin Skywalker was not a cautious young man either. He heard a story which couldn't be unheard. It told of a Sith Lord who could save people from death."

"Was there someone he needed to save?" Luke asked, glancing up.

"Yes. His pregnant wife. There were premonitions of her death in the Force."

Luke looked pained. Already, this was hurting him. But he nodded. "Go on."

"A friend and mentor he had trusted since childhood revealed himself as a Sith Lord. He promised he would help the young man save his wife. But the young Jedi did his duty and reported the Sith Lord to the Jedi. He was ordered to remain at the temple and not assist with the arrest."

"Why?"

"They didn't trust him. The Jedi remained in the temple and contemplated his dilemma until he could stand it no longer, and disobeyed his orders. If the Sith Lord was killed, any chance of saving his wife would be lost."

"But … the Sith Lord had killed all the Jedi by the time he got there?"

"No. One remained. Skywalker urged him to arrest the Sith Lord, as their code required. But he insisted on killing him. The two Jedi fought, and a moment later, only one Jedi was left alive. But he now had a Jedi's blood on his hands and there was no other path for him now. His destiny was unavoidable."

Luke frowned. "His destiny?"

"He offered himself to the Dark Side in exchange for his wife. But he had underestimated its power. Before the night was over, the Jedi named Anakin Skywalker was destroyed and I was born in his place."

Luke was clenching his fists, clearly chilled by his words. Then he stared at him, the grief clear in his eyes.

"You're wrong. I know he's still alive. He's done his best to be a father to me, despite being poisoned by the Dark Side. The Emperor wants you to think he's dead so you think you don't have any other choice but to serve him. It's not true."

"Luke—"

"No, you can reject him. I know you can. _Please_."

There was a desperation in his voice that was painful to hear.

"Son." He spoke the word as gently as he could manage. "It is too late for me."

Luke slumped in defeat. He traced a finger through the sand once again, and then whispered, "And for me?"

There was a long silence between them, in which Vader fought the urge to simply lie to Luke, and tell him everything would be all right. There was no guarantee of that. He would train his son to control the Dark Side as best he could, but he understood better than anyone how overwhelming it could be.

"Son, if there was any other way ..."

Luke nodded. "I understand."

He wiped his finger across his right eye, and Vader realized he was crying. It was rare for his son to show such emotion in front of him. Before he could stop himself, he reached out to put his hand on Luke's shoulder. His son surprised him by immediately leaning over and embracing him as much as their positions would allow.

His son's unrestrained compassion was almost unbearable, yet he couldn't shift away. For Luke's sake, he could pretend to be the father he so desperately wanted. Wanted so much, that his son would forgive him anything in the faint hope he would no longer be the person he had become. Just for the moment, he could pretend to be Anakin.

He stretched his arm around Luke, returning the embrace. They stayed that way for a long while, until his son became drowsy. After adjusting his position, he quickly fell into a light doze, rising up and down gently, almost in sync with Vader's own breathing.

It was a long, silent night.

* * *


	15. Goodbyes

Returning to Coruscant early had become the best course of action after their unplanned camping trip. Luke was subdued and no longer motivated to advance his training. He could often be seen staring blankly into the distance while in the middle of performing the most basic tasks. It would do him good to be back in civilization.

But the journey only made his son sink further into melancholy. Shortly before they were due to revert from hyperspace, he sighed loudly, and began shuffling restlessly in his seat. Vader ignored it for a while, but when Luke sighed louder, he gave in.

"What is it?"

"You know that feeling?" Luke said, looking up. "That returning from a vacation feeling?"

"No, I do not. And this was not a vacation."

"Think about all we're coming back to. Traffic jams ... a crammed skyline."

"Politicians," Vader agreed. "A room full of backlogged military reports."

"The Emperor," Luke said, with a half smile. "I'm surprised the Empire can survive a week without you, never mind a month."

A shudder traveled through the ship, and the streaking stars became pinpoints of light. The vast orb of Coruscant appeared in the distance. But it didn't look quite how they'd left it. Even from here, Vader could see there were far more orbital patrols than there should have been. He studied the scopes, noting the net formation.

"What's going on?" Luke said, as they approached the outer security perimeter.

"It appears the planet had been blockaded," Vader said. "No ships are leaving or landing. It seems your remark about the Empire was correct."

"A Rebel attack?" Luke asked.

"We will soon find out."

The hail light blinked on, and before Vader could stop him, Luke reached up to answer it. " _Laguna Cave_ here," he said, in a mock official tone.

" _Laguna Cave_ , all incoming civilian traffic must proceed to the shipyard in sector 4. Fail to do so, and you _will_ be fired upon."

The comlink crackled, and then cut out.

"We'll shoot back if you try it!" Luke said, annoyed.

"Perhaps you should have given him our clearance code," Vader suggested, somewhat amused.

"He didn't give me a chance!"

The comlink crackled again, and the same voice spoke again.

" _Laguna Cave_ , you have not altered your course. Do so now, or you will be fired upon. This is your final warning."

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Luke said. "We have top priority clearance. I'll send you the code if you would please just give me a second."

"Who are you?" Now the voice sounded annoyed.

"Um ... Luke Skywalker," Luke replied. "My father and I just got back from vacation."

"Somehow I doubt that _you_ have top priority clearance. That is only reserved for the Emperor and other persons of extreme importance. Now stop wasting our time, or—"

Vader put the comlink on mute.

"The Imperial military do not respond to heartfelt pleas or polite requests. You must demand what you want. Allow me."

"No!"

Luke took the comlink off mute, and leaned forward, closing his eyes. The traffic controller was still making threats, but Luke interrupted him.

"Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you."

"You will let us land."

"I will let you land."

"We have priority one clearance."

"You have priority one clearance."

"Have a nice day!"

"I will have a nice day."

Luke shut off the channel and leaned back with a self-satisfied smile. He folded his arms behind his head.

"How did you learn how to do that?" Vader said, accelerating the ship through the blockade. "I did not teach you that. Most impressive."

"Thanks, Dad."

"But it does not mean you can call me _that_."

* * *

As they approached the palace, Luke rubbed his head, feeling a sudden assault on his senses. Coruscant felt different. A million people shifted in the Force, sending ripples in every direction. A thousand emotions were suddenly present. Joy, sadness, fear, anxiety. His world would never feel the same again.

"You need to work on your shielding," his father noted. "Center yourself."

As he brought the ship into land, he linked with him, showing him how. Luke tried to focus but was distracted when he saw Lev stepping out of the main elevator bay. He could easily feel his unease, even from here.

Artoo and Threepio were first out of the ship, Luke close behind. He smiled at Lev, feeling his relief.

"Hi! I haven't turned into some moody Sith Lord, if that's what you're looking worried about. Did you miss me?"

"We all missed you," Lev said, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. "It was so peaceful and quiet. Disturbingly so." His gaze fell on Luke's still-bandaged arm. "What happened?"

"I nearly got eaten by a crab," Luke said. "They were crawling all over me!"

"Dreadful creatures!" Threepio said.

Artoo offered a supportive beep.

"Eaten by a _what_?" Lev asked.

Breathing sounded behind him before Luke could answer, and Lev straightened up.

"I'll tell you everything later," Luke said, standing aside.

His father came to a halt at the bottom of the ramp. "Why is there a blockade?" he asked Lev.

"A Rebel unit attempted to steal classified information from a naval ship design facility," Lev explained. "They were destroyed while attempting to run the blockade. Traffic control is awaiting the order to resume normal operations."

"An unusually desperate move for the Rebels."

"Not unusual as of late, sir. Yesterday, a Rebel strike team attempted to rescue a prisoner from the detention center on Mon Calamari. The day before—"

"I'm going to visit Ben," Luke said, starting to walk away. This conversation sounded like it could get very boring, very fast.

"Luke, wait!" Lev said, urgently.

Luke turned back in surprise.

"Excuse me, sir, but I have some bad news concerning Luke's friend," Lev explained to his father.

"Bad news?" Luke said, feeling his heart begin to race. A hundred horrible scenarios were running through his head. "What bad news?! Is he all right?"

"Captain Jarnet has not been seen at the palace since last week. There are rumors he has been arrested."

"Arrested?" Luke frowned. "For what? He's a royal guard! Where's Ben?"

"I don't know," Lev said. "I'm sorry, Luke. I attempted to contact him, but received no response. He may no longer be on Coruscant."

"He wouldn't leave without saying anything!" Luke started to run towards the speeders, but his father pulled him back with a touch of the Force.

"Who told you Captain Jarnet had been arrested, Lieutenant?" his father asked.

"Another guard, sir. It was third hand information, though."

"They're probably just on vacation," Luke said. "I'm going over to check his apartment."

His father studied him for a moment, and then began to move towards him. "I will accompany you. Lieutenant—have a report prepared about the Rebel activity. I will read it when I return."

"Yes, sir."

Luke ran ahead, trying to ignore the uneasiness in his stomach. It was probably nothing, anyhow. If anything had happened to Ben's father, Ben would have called him. He'd checked his messages several times using the ship's signal relay, and they'd been nothing but advertising from a local hologame store.

His father joined him in the MX Speeder, allowing him to remain in the pilot's seat. Luke didn't waste any time getting them in the air.

"You didn't know anything about this, did you?" Luke asked. Fortunately, the air traffic wasn't busy.

"Of course not."

"He can't have been arrested. He'd never do anything wrong."

His father didn't reply.

"I bet they're just sitting at home right now. Probably had the comlink switched off when Lev tried to call."

"Perhaps."

After reversing into a space on the landing pad, Luke jumped out of the speeder and started for the elevators. His father held him back, once again.

"You may wish to switch off the speeder's engine first. And wait for me."

Luke tried to use the Force to do the task, but he wasn't focused enough. Finally, he climbed back in and used the controls. When he returned to the landing pad, his father was already waiting by the elevator.

They rode up to Ben's floor in silence. When they reached the corridor, Luke was already trying to use the Force to sense Ben's presence. He could feel other moving bodies in the various apartments, but none of them felt like Ben.

His father held him back when they came in sight of the door. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"I will look first. Wait out here."

"They'll freak out if you barge in," Luke protested.

"Can you sense anyone inside?" his father prompted.

Luke was forced to shake his head.

"Wait here," his father repeated. He pressed the door release, and the doors opened immediately. Either the lock had been broken, or it hadn't been set.

His father stepped into the main living area, and looked left and right. Luke strained to see around his father's bulk, but he wasn't able to see until his father moved on down the corridor. There was a plate sitting on the kitchen counter top, containing a half-eaten pancake. A carton of milk beside a half-poured glass stood on the bench beside the cooling unit. He was about to take a step inside, when he heard a noise behind him.

One of the neighbors was leaving another apartment, a few meters down the corridor. She was carrying a briefcase.

"Excuse me," Luke called. "Have you seen the people who live here?"

She glanced at Luke. "They're gone. They were visited by stormtroopers last week."

"Stormtroopers!"

"I'd get away from there, if I were you," the woman said. "You don't want the Empire to think you were their friends."

"I am their friend!" Luke protested.

The woman responded by looking completely terrified, and then turning and sprinting down the corridor. Luke blinked in surprise, and then discovered his father had appeared behind him.

"Was that a neighbor?"

"Yes," Luke said. "She said stormtroopers came to visit! This is crazy."

"Your friend is not here. There is evidence they left in a hurry, but there is no sign of any struggle. The security equipment has been destroyed, and the computer system gutted."

"Then where are they?!" Luke asked, desperately.

His father placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back towards the elevators.

* * *

Vader piloted on the way home, conscious of Luke's escalating distress. It was hard to find words to reassure him, when all he could feel was guilt. Captain Jarnet had risked his career to warn him about Luke, and now it appeared he was going to pay for it with his life, if he hadn't already.

"Do not worry," Vader said, as they flew into the hangar bay. "I will make some enquiries and get to the bottom of all this."

"What if they've been killed?" Luke said, his voice shaking with stress.

Vader considered how to reply. If he said that was impossible, it would be harder to break the news to Luke later, if it turned out to be true.

"Worrying about it will not change the situation," Vader said, finally.

"But why would stormtroopers arrest a royal guard? It makes no sense!"

"I cannot say until I know more about this. Now, why don't you go and unpack the ship? I will inform you as soon as I have some news."

Luke nodded and slowly climbed out of the speeder. He trudged off to do as he said. Vader watched him through the windshield for a while, and then lifted the speeder into the air once again. The first place to look was, of course, the high security detention facility in the palace block. The Emperor kept all his favorite prisoners there.

He made no announcement of his pending arrival. Fortunately for all concerned, his request to see the prison commander was complied with immediately. A guard showed him to the office and announced his arrival to the surprised officer. Once they were alone, Vader quickly made a search of the room with the Force, ensuring there were no listening devices or security cameras. Once satisfied, he proceeded.

"I am seeking information on a prisoner by the name of Jarnet. Are you holding such a person here?"

The commander nodded, which surprised Vader. There were hundreds of prisoners here. For the commander to know the name immediately hinted it had been a notable case. "He was brought in eight days ago."

"Why?"

"I do not know, sir. It was under the direct orders of the Emperor. He is an ex-royal guard. For that reason, extra security had to be arranged."

"How long is he going to remain here?"

"That information has yet to be confirmed, sir. I do know he is to be executed, but a date has not been set."

So, it was exactly as he had feared. And there was little to be done about it. He could not override the Emperor's orders.

"The man had a son," Vader said, finally. "Do you know what became of him?"

"Yes, sir. We're holding him here too."

"Why? Has he been charged?"

"No, sir. Originally he was used as motivation for questioning his father. He has been released from custody, but no guardian has arrived to claim him. Our policy is to turn all unclaimed minors over to Family Services, but he turns eighteen in a week, at which time he can leave on his own. We are not short on cells at the moment, and it seemed a better option than dealing with the bureaucracy of Family Services."

"Have him prepared for release immediately, Commander," Vader said. "He will be leaving with me."

"Yes, sir."

The commander opened the door to his office and spoke to the guards outside.

"They will bring him to the front lobby, sir. I will fill in the necessary documentation."

"Very well. You have been helpful, Commander. I wish to know if there is any change in the man's situation."

"I will pass on any developments, sir."

Vader left the office, and made his way to the front lobby. While he waited, groups of stormtroopers walked past, escorting prisoners to and from the main cellblock. One pair were dragging a stunned Troshadian between them, and making very slow progress. Another group entered with a man in the elaborate dress of a Hamavallian aristocrat. Rebels ... they came from all walks of life. And all equally misguided.

"Lord Vader."

Vader turned, seeing the two black-clad guards had returned. Ben stood between them, his hands still clad in binders. For once in his life, he actually looked pleased to see Vader, but the hope in his eyes did little to improve his appearance. He was thin and exhausted, and appeared far younger than the last time Vader had seen him. The ill-fitting prison uniform did not help.

"Return to your duties," Vader said. The guards immediately left them alone, and Vader waved a hand over Ben's binders. They fell to the floor with a clatter.

"Thank you, sir," Ben said. His voice sounded raspy, like he was fighting off sickness. "Sir ... do you know where my father is? What's going to happen to him? They wouldn't even tell me why he was arrested."

There was a desperate look in Ben's eyes, but here was not the place to answer such questions.

"Follow me," Vader said, beginning the journey back towards the landing pad.

He said nothing else until they were in the relative privacy of the speeder.

"Your father appears to have displeased the Emperor in some fashion," Vader said, starting the speeder's engine. There was little point in elaborating further.

"He'll release him soon, won't he, sir?" Ben asked.

"I do not know. But you are my guest for as long as need be." It was the only thing he could do for the boy's father at this point.

"Thank you, sir," Ben said, quietly. He paused to cough, and then continued. "I don't understand any of this. My father would never do anything wrong ... he loves his job. I kept telling them that, but they wouldn't listen to me."

He sounded like he was about to break down into tears. Vader quickly changed the subject as they flew over the palace square. "You appear malnourished. Did they not feed you adequately?"

Ben shook his head. "I didn't like the prison food, sir."

Vader almost sighed at the stupidity of starving oneself out of pure fussiness. _Teenagers_.

"I am sure Luke will waste no time in showing you the nutritional facilities," Vader said, turning the speeder around to fly into the hangar.

Ben nodded. "Sir, if you talk to the Emperor ... can you please tell him that my father is sorry for whatever he's done? I'd do anything to have him back ... I ... I'm not ready to lose him. I need him."

"I will do what I can," Vader said, simply. Perhaps it was cruel to get the boy's hopes up, considering it was a lost cause from the moment his father was arrested, but he couldn't bring himself to say this.

He parked the speeder near the _Laguna Cave_ , where Luke sat waiting on the boarding ramp. As soon as he stepped out, his son was up and running over.

"Did you find anything? Did you—"

He broke off when he saw his friend, and his face lit up. "Ben! I thought you were ... where were you?"

"Your friend needs to eat, and then I suggest you take him to his home to collect his belongings," Vader said. "He will be staying here."

"But where's his father?" Luke asked, looking worried. "What happened?"

Vader walked off in silence.

* * *

"It is good that you have returned early, Lord Vader," the Emperor said, standing in front of the huge glass windows. "The need for the Death Star to be completed has become urgent. I require you to deliver that message personally as soon as you can."

"Yes, Master," Vader replied. "I was informed of the recent surging of Rebel activity after landing."

"Rumours of the project have reached them. They will grow increasingly desperate as they sense their imminent destruction."

"They know it will be their end," Vader agreed. "Their tactics have been reckless and unfocused as of late."

"Yes ... it seems your efforts to contain Rebel sympathizing worlds has been successful. Meanwhile, we grow stronger. Tell me ... how did your son's training proceed?"

Vader had made a decision not to mention anything of Luke's complete rejection of the Dark Side ... or of the unwelcome intrusions by Obi-Wan's ghostly remains. What the Emperor didn't know could not displease him.

"Very well, Master. You will find him a quick and willing student."

"I would like to see a demonstration of his new abilities. Have one of the Inquisitors summoned to Coruscant."

Vader felt a sudden chill. "Master, I don't think he is ready—"

"Nonsense. I am sure you will have made certain he can handle a lightsaber."

"He is not in a stable emotional state right now. I understand the father of his friend is scheduled to be executed."

"Ah, yes. Always a sad state of affairs, when one's most trusted servants are revealed to have loyalties elsewhere. Sad for all concerned. I'm sure the boy will understand. Perhaps if you explain to him the high value I place on loyalty."

"Luke will not take this easily. He forms very strong bonds with his friends."

"Stronger than his loyalty to me? That would be a dangerous situation, Lord Vader."

"I will make him understand, Master," Vader said, sensing this conversation was about to become a dangerous situation itself.

"Good. And yes ... see about executing that traitor, my friend. Best not to leave it hanging if it will distress your son."

"You want _me_ to execute him, Master?"

"You have always been responsible for executing troublesome guards in the past, have you not? I understood you found it to be a satisfying duty."

"I do, Master. But given my son's friendship with this man ..."

"Do you suggest he should kill him as a test of his loyalty?"

Vader breathed for a few cycles, and then said, "I will execute the man, Master."

Clearly, this was his master's sadistic way of punishing him for accepting the man's information in the first place. And he was no doubt planning to use this as a way to break the natural bond of loyalty between him and his son. Only his master could devise ways of manipulating seemingly routine events to his precise advantage.

It would take a miracle to find a way around this one.

* * *

"Do you think the food droids would deliver up here?" Ben asked.

Luke idly wondered if his friend was ever going to stop eating. It was a still, warm night, and they'd come up to the roof to enjoy the night-time view of the Coruscant sky. Ben was too busy eating to enjoy it, though.

"You mean you're still hungry? That's your fourth pie in the last hour. I've never seen you eat so much."

His friend had eaten a huge meal earlier in the evening, and then they had made the journey over to his apartment.

It had been hard for Ben to go home, and his friend had broken down into tears when he picked up his bedside photo of himself and his father. Luke didn't know what to say. It was painful for him to see his friend so distressed, but he knew his own pain must be nothing compared to what Ben was going through.

It had been getting late by the time they returned, but neither of them felt able to sleep.

"Maybe I am getting full," Ben said, leaning back against the wall. He then produced an energy bar. "I'll finish up with this."

"So you haven't seen him since last week?" Luke asked.

Ben shook his head and said something unintelligible, due to the food in his mouth.

"What?"

"I wasn't allowed to see him," Ben said, swallowing the food. "I begged and begged but they wouldn't let me."

"This is so unfair," Luke said, staring up at the glowing traffic lanes. "When I rule the galaxy, _everything_ is going to change. No one will go to prison without a fair trial."

"When you rule the galaxy?" Ben said, looking up with interest. "This is a different tune."

Luke shrugged. "I realized a few things while I was away."

"So you have new Force powers now?"

"A few," Luke admitted.

"Show me something, then. Something neat like your father can do."

Luke looked around. There wasn't all that much to move around up here. Just the discarded wrapper of Ben's energy bar, but that wasn't impressive. But then a passing overhead light lit up a piece of scrap metal, lying in the far corner.

"See that metal," Luke said, gesturing.

Ben nodded.

Luke waved a hand and called on the Force. It lifted into the air, and then Luke sent it flying over their heads, like a model speeder.

"Wow," Ben said, sounding genuinely impressed. "Awesome!"

"Thanks."

A familiar presence came rushing into Luke's mind, and he rubbed his head in surprise.

_Luke!_

"Uh oh," Luke said.

"What is it?"

"My father."

_It's nearly midnight. You should be asleep ... not sitting on the roof and treating your Force abilities with such disrespect._

"And he knows where we are," Luke added.

"I guess we better go to bed."

"Good idea."

* * *

Vader waited outside the elevator hub, until the two boys returned from the roof. Luke took one look at him, and then made to slip past, but a simple touch of the Force held him back. His son had not yet figured out how to break his grip, which was a welcome situation.

Ben hovered nearby, looking confused at Luke's apparent struggle against thin air. Vader waved him on.

"Go on, Ben. Luke will be along shortly."

The boy disappeared down the corridor into Luke's bedroom. Vader released the grip on his son, and then turned him around so they were facing each other.

"The Force is not a trick for impressing your friends, young one."

"Oh, come on," Luke said. "Are you telling me you've never used the Force to impress someone?"

"Never," Vader said.

Luke stared back in disbelief for a moment, and then smiled, obviously sensing he wasn't being entirely serious.

"Did you speak with the Emperor about Ben's father?"

Any trace of amusement quickly disappeared from Vader's mind. This was not going to be easy.

"I did."

"And?"

"There is nothing I can do. He has been arrested for sharing information about the Emperor's activities. The Emperor will never forgive disloyalty."

"So what's going to happen to him?" Luke said. "Can't Ben see him, at least?"

Vader turned away. He did not want to see Luke's face during this conversation.

"I have no say in the matter."

"Then I'll talk to the Emperor!"

"You will not. It will put you at grave risk."

"Ben's father is at risk!" Luke protested. "He's my friend."

"That does not matter to the Emperor," Vader said. "He will become angry if he suspects you are more loyal to your friends than you are to him."

"Of course I'm more loyal to my friends!"

"But you must not show it," Vader said, finally looking back. "Or he will regard you as a threat."

"I don't care!" Luke said, angrily. "Maybe you think his orders are more important than friendship, but I don't!"

Vader was silent for a few breathing cycles, and then spoke calmly.

"Son ... haven't we argued enough this week?"

Luke sighed, nodding in agreement. "I'm sorry ... I'm just so frustrated. How can I pretend to be loyal to someone who has imprisoned my friend's father?"

"Because you know your pretence will pay off," Vader said, quietly.

"But that won't help Ben's father now!"

"I know. I am sorry, but you will have to accept that nothing can be done."

"I wish we could go up to the tower now and push him out the top-storey window," Luke said, frowning.

"Be patient, Son. And be careful." Vader hesitated, debating whether to tell his son about the Emperor's plans to have him fight an Inquisitor. It seemed pointless to worry him over such a thing. "The Emperor wishes to see your progress tomorrow. Be sure to obey him to the letter. Convince him that you are his loyal subject, and then our plan has a chance of succeeding."

"Are you sure I can't mention Ben's father?"

"Absolutely not."

"Well ... I'll do my best."

"Good." Vader rested a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry you have to suffer such burdens at so young an age. Do not dwell on them tonight. Sleep well."

"I'll try," Luke said. He turned to leave, but Vader stopped him, remembering something else.

"Before you go ... there is something I want to give you. Follow me."

Vader led Luke into his private chamber, and then retrieved a display box from a storage compartment. His son's eyes grew wide at the sight of it, clearly guessing what was inside.

"Remember," Vader said, prying open the lid. "A lightsaber is more than a mere weapon. It will become part of you. A manifestation of your will."

"I can have my own lightsaber?" Luke's eyes were shining.

"Yes. You have earned it."

Vader turned the box around, to allow Luke to inspect the various options. His son poured over each one, seeing how each handle fit into his hand, and checking the color of each blade. Finally, he settled on a blue one.

"This one is good."

Vader looked at it for a moment, and then felt a rush of emotion. His son had chosen Obi-Wan's old lightsaber. He'd lost limbs to that blade ... but he couldn't deny it was a durable, reliable weapon. If his son liked it, then he wouldn't use its past owner as an excuse not to let him have it.

"Something wrong?" Luke said, looking up. He had clearly sensed his feelings.

"Nothing," Vader said, closing the display box. "Look after it."

"I will," Luke said. "And thanks." He stared at him for a moment, and then said, "You'll still be here, right? When the Emperor takes over my training."

"He has another mission for me. I will return as soon as I can."

"I'll call every day when you're gone. Do you think he'll let me visit you if it takes more than a week?"

"If you please the Emperor," Vader said, returning the box of lightsabers into storage.

"Could I fly the _Dunesea_?" Luke asked.

"If you fly responsibly."

"You mean it?" Luke said, grinning like a child in a candy store. "I can fly alone now?"

"If I am to trust you with the future of the galaxy, I suppose I should start trusting you to fly alone."

"I _love_ you!" He raised his arms to hug him, but Vader quickly grabbed them to prevent it.

"Go to bed."

"Goodnight," Luke said, still smiling.

He wandered off into his bedroom, and shortly afterwards, the noise from within died down. Vader turned towards the balcony, unable to rest. Tomorrow, he had to execute Ben's father, and then present his son to his master for his first real test. To say it was going to be a worse day than usual was a vast understatement.

* * *

_An unfamiliar planet. A deserted industrial wasteland. It was wet and windy, and his lightsaber was steaming in the rain. He extended a hand and sent a powerful Force push towards his opponent. It was blocked, but the distraction was enough to get his sword past his opponent's defences and nick him in the shoulder._

_His enemy didn't cry out in pain. He simply shifted to the side, coming into clearer focus. His father. He was fighting his father._

_"I will not fight you, Luke."_

_Luke swung viciously, aiming for the mask. Two red blades clashed in mid-air._

_"Cause you know you'll lose!" Luke yelled, forcing his father back. They were shifting out onto a concrete bridge, burned out and blackened by centuries of pollution._

_"I failed you," his father said, sounding truly broken. He blocked another of his attacks. "I thought it would be different with you. I thought you could undo all my mistakes. Instead, I bound you to my chains and now we both drown together!"_

_Luke lunged at his father, crying out in rage. "Just die already!"_

_His unfocused attack had a terrible consequence. His father parried, and then flicked the lightsaber out of his hand with a quick circular movement. An agonizing pain flared in his limb, and Luke fell back in horror. Half his mechanical hand had disappeared, along with his lightsaber._

_"Are ... you ... going to ... kill me, Father?" Luke asked, gasping with lack of breath. The chase had been going on far too long for his stamina._

_"I can't," his father said. "Though it would be a blessing for you. Alive, you will live in enslavement to the cruellest master of them all. But someone might be able to reach you. For that reason, you must live."_

_While he was talking, Luke had been gathering the Force. Now was his chance. He tore the blade away from his father's grip and sent it flying into his chest. The electronics sparked and exploded as Luke climbed to his feet. His father stumbled backwards, staring at the blade in surprise. Finally, he tumbled over the edge. Luke stepped forward to watch the body fall into the polluted river below._

_"Good riddance."_

* * *

The pain came in a wave, mild at first, and then reaching a crescendo that sent Vader rushing for the conference room exit. A panicky Ben was in the corridor, and he turned towards him.

"Sir! There's ... there's something wrong with Luke! He's yelling and I can't wake him up!"

Vader stared past him towards the open door of the bedroom. An anguished cry filled the air, followed by a mental echo in the Force. He quickly walked towards the sound, entering the room and stepping around the fold-out mattress on the floor.

His son was tossing from side to side, glistening with sweat and mumbling something incoherent. As soon as Vader's hand touched his forehead, he stopped writhing. His skin felt hot.

"Luke," he said, gently.

"No ... I won't, I ... NO!"

His Force presence buckled with another mental shout. This wasn't a usual nightmare. Judging by the tremors, he must be experiencing some kind of vision.

"Luke!" His attempt to link only caused more distress, and his son began shaking again.

"Sir?"

Vader looked up and found Ben was standing on the other side of the bed. He was holding a glass of water.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," he said, withdrawing his hand.

Ben upended a quarter of the glass on Luke's face. As the water trickled into his hair and down his neck, his son brought his hands up out of reflex. A moment later, he was sitting up and blinking.

"Father?"

Vader rested a hand on his shoulder, holding him steady. "You were having a nightmare."

"Dad!" He reached up and gripped his arm, as if to make sure he was real.

Vader reached out to take the water from Ben and handed the glass to Luke.

"Here. Drink."

Luke didn't accept the glass.

"Where are we?" he asked, still blinking at him with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"Do you want me to get anything else, sir?" Ben asked. "Maybe a medical droid."

"No, he will be all right," Vader said, glancing up at Ben. The boy was shaking. This had clearly rattled him. "Luke is prone to nightmares. I will stay with him until he has calmed down. I suggest you shift to one of the other rooms. This may take a while."

"Yes, sir."

Ben gathered his bedding and left the room. Luke stared after him, appearing slightly less confused.

Vader attempted to untwine Luke's fingers from the vice-like grip they had on his arm. Once he succeeded, he sat down on the bed and turned to face his son.

"I had a nightmare?" Luke asked, rubbing his eyes.

"It felt more like a Force vision. What did you see?"

Luke's gaze became blank for a moment, and then he began to shake.

"It ... it was horrible ..."

"Relax," Vader said, sensing his son's rising distress. "Tell me."

Without warning, his son threw himself against him, and began crying into his shoulder. He was saying something, but the words were so distorted, it made no sense.

"Luke!" Vader said, struggling to shift Luke back before he short-circuited something. "Calm down!"

"I'm sorry," Luke sobbed. "I'm so s-sorry ... I'd n-never do it ... n-never!"

"Do what?!" Vader at last managed to prop Luke back up, and held him steady by the forearms. He was half wondering if he should call Luke's doctor. Maybe the stress of the situation had caused a mental breakdown.

"I ... I killed y-you. I'm s-sorry."

"You killed me?" Vader repeated, not sure whether he'd heard right through the flood of tears.

Luke nodded, wiping his eyes.

"In your vision," Vader said, beginning to understand.

"I'm sorry!"

"Stop apologizing," Vader said, releasing Luke and reaching over to retrieve a box of tissues. "It was a dream, Luke. Nothing more. You have no control over a dream."

"We were f-fighting," Luke said. He paused to blow his nose.

"That sounds like us," Vader said, trying to add some humor to the situation. It didn't appear to help Luke's mood.

"With ... with lightsabers. On some d-deserted world."

"Luke, we duelled many times on Lygun. You no doubt experienced a subconscious fear that you would make a mistake in your training and cause a fatal accident. These fears have resurfaced in your dreams. It does not mean anything."

Luke shook his head, and reached up to wipe a fresh wave of tears from his eyes.

"It wasn't Lygun. I was angry ... I wanted to kill you. You ... you were saying that you'd failed me." Luke blew his nose again. "You cut off my hand."

"Then I probably deserved to be killed," Vader suggested.

"It's the future," Luke said. He then broke down into tears again and buried his face in the bed covers. Vader stared at the tousled blonde hair, wondering what in the galaxy he was supposed to do. Leaving felt like a good option. Perhaps if he went for a walk, Luke would have calmed down by the time he returned.

"Don't ... l-leave," Luke sniffed, reaching out to grab onto his cape.

"I wasn't going to," Vader said, reaching out to ruffle Luke's hair. "Son, you need to regain control of your emotions. Be rational."

Luke didn't respond. It was a stupid request, anyhow. Asking his son to be rational was like asking the Emperor to be forgiving. It wasn't in his nature. His mother had always been the rational one. And she would be doing a far better job of comforting Luke right now.

Vader looked away, feeling his own emotions attempt to get the better of him.

"Luke," he said, finally. "The future is what you make of it. If you believe your vision is the future, then it will come to pass. It only represents your present fears, nothing else."

"Maybe it's a warning," Luke said, looking up.

"You want to kill me?"

"No!"

"Then how could it represent the future?"

"But maybe I will after the Emperor's training. He'll tempt me to use the Dark Side."

"Nothing he could teach you would break the bonds of blood, my son. I have been his apprentice for seventeen years. I have never wanted you dead."

"I ... I guess you're right," Luke sniffed, wiping away the last of his tears.

"Of course," Vader said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "When am I not right?"

Finally, a small smile. Followed by a yawn.

"Go back to sleep," Vader said, pulling the blankets up around his son.

"No you don't," Luke said, shuffling away and then slipping out the other side of the bed. "No Force tricks! I'm not going back to sleep ... I've had enough dreams for tonight."

"It is after two in the morning."

"Well you're still awake, aren't you?"

"I have work to do."

"Maybe I could help."

"Maybe you could go back to sleep," Vader suggested.

Luke responded by dodging past him and shutting himself in the adjacent refresher. It left Vader wondering if he was the father of a seven year old or a seventeen year old. Still, he supposed the solution was the same. If he waited long enough, Luke would eventually become bored and come out.

Five minutes later, he grew impatient and used the Force to open the doors. Luke was sitting on the floor, leaning drowsily against the wall. It didn't take much Force suggestion to convince him to return to the bed. Within a minute, he had switched out the lights, and left Luke snoring gently.

After so much emotional torment, Vader decided to get some fresh air. Some early morning meditation would restore his mental focus. It turned out he was not the only one to have the same idea. Ben was standing on the balcony. His son's friend was equally surprised to see him, and started to apologize.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll go back to bed."

Vader raised a hand, stopping him. "I have no problem with your presence."

Ben nodded. "Um ... is Luke okay?"

"He is asleep. He has long been prone to this. Why are you still awake?"

Ben shook his head, and looked away. "I ... I can't stop thinking about my father, sir."

Vader started to regret telling the boy he had no problem with his presence. Far from calm meditation, this had turned into a guilt trip. Ridiculous for a Sith Lord to feel something so useless as guilt. He could not change the situation, so why dwell on it?

"I had a question, sir," Ben continued. "Luke told me I should ask you, because he didn't know the answer."

"What is it?"

"When I was in the detention centre, I had nothing to do all day but think about things, and ... I was thinking about how much my father and I had argued lately. I never said anything nice to him." His voice had become strained. "I was wondering if this ... this was punishment for the way I treated my father."

"And Luke did not know the answer?" Vader asked, making a mental note to discuss that with his son sometime.

"Well, he said he didn't think the Force would punish people like that, but he didn't know for sure. He said you knew everything about the Force."

"Actions have their own consequences," Vader explained. "Whether good or bad. The Force does not affect such things. But your father's arrest has nothing to do with the state of your relationship."

Ben looked utterly miserable. His words appeared to have been little comfort. Perhaps blaming himself had been a useful tool for dealing with this.

"I am sure your father knows you care deeply for him, despite your arguments," Vader said, wondering when he had become a counsellor to his son's friends.

"I just can't stop thinking about him, sitting alone in the cell," Ben said, his voice shaking. "And then I imagine someone walking down the corridor, planning to take him away and kill him, and I can't stay still any longer. It just keeps going round and round my head."

Vader focused on a distant building spire, desperately trying to think about something else other than just how he was going to kill this boy's father. It wasn't as if he was in danger from Ben sensing his thoughts, but somehow thinking about it made him feel hollow.

"I am working in the conference room," he said, deciding it was time to make an exit. "You are welcome to interrupt me if there are any more problems. I doubt I will be experiencing much sleep myself."

_Especially after this conversation_ , he thought.

"Yes, sir," Ben mumbled. He did not leave the balcony.

* * *

Luke woke late the next morning. The first thing he remembered was his vision. The second thing he remembered was telling his father that he wasn't going back to sleep. Somehow, he'd managed to get the better of him. Once again.

But he was more than willing to forgive him. Despite his father's reassurances, nothing could take away the guilt. The image of his father's body, skewered with his own lightsaber, was still vivid in his mind.

After showering and dressing, he'd joined Ben for breakfast. His friend had dark circles under his eyes, and Luke suspected he hadn't slept all night.

They ate breakfast in silence, until Ben pushed his food away. It was only half-eaten.

"I'll talk to my father again," Luke said. "Find out if we can at least visit your father."

"He's already left," Ben said. "He said he was attending meetings at IMH. He also suggested we take a ship and go for a flight somewhere, as long as we're back by lunchtime."

"Do you want to?"

Ben shrugged. "Sure. If you want to."

"I was thinking we could go to the detention centre," Luke said. "Maybe I could convince the guards to let us see your father."

"I begged them for a week, and they wouldn't listen to me."

"I might have a way," Luke said, thinking of the mind-trick he'd taught himself. It would take a lot of concentration, but he should be able to pull it off.

"You mean it?" Ben said, looking up. His eyes were shining with hope.

"I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try. I know how to use the Force to influence people."

"Getting in might be a problem," Ben said. "When your father took me out of there, I think we passed through five guarded security doors."

"When I was there, I was taken to a public floor that joined the transit corridors linking the government buildings," Luke said. "There were lots of people ... it will be easier to get in that way."

"Well, even if we don't, I'd feel better ... just being closer to him," Ben said, quietly.

"We'll find a way," Luke said. "I promise."

* * *

Luke rarely traveled throughout the transit corridors without his father by his side. It was amazing how much of a difference that made. They were stopped at security checkpoints three times before they even drew near the detention center. The first time, his palace ID was enough to let the guard wave them on, but by the time they reached the detention centre elevator hub, it was clear they wouldn't be progressing without a very good reason.

Two stormtroopers stood on either side of the elevator, holding blasters. They stepped in front of the elevator entrance as soon as he and Ben approached.

"Please turn around," the left one said. "This is a restricted area."

"I'm meeting my father—" Luke started.

"Lord Vader is not in this area," the stormtrooper said. "I will ask you again—please turn around."

Luke gathered the Force. "You want to let us past," he tried. But he could feel the words were having no effect.

"If you do not leave immediately, I will be forced to have you escorted back to the palace. I suggest you turn around now."

Ben tugged at his sleeve, and Luke reluctantly did as the trooper suggested.

"What a nerfherder," he said, when they were out of earshot.

"It's probably me," Ben said. "They know my father is in there, and they suspect we're up to something."

"Maybe we should have disguised you," Luke said. It was too late for that now.

They took a right and walked through a transparent exit tunnel that led to an outside walkway. Down below, there was a small crowd gathered at the edges of the security barrier that surrounded the detention block.

"Something is going on," Ben said, pointing.

It did look unusual. There were media droids buzzing around, and lots of stormtroopers. The crowd was growing, as passersby were stopping to find out what was happening.

"Hey, there's Leia!" Ben said.

Luke looked where his friend pointed, and saw an entire ring of stormtroopers surrounding one lone figure. Media droids were trying to hone in on her, but the stormtroopers were shooting them away.

"Let's go and say hello," Ben suggested, starting towards a stairwell that would take them down.

"No!" Luke said. "I can't. She's ... uh, I don't think she'll want to speak to me."

"Why? What did you do?"

"She found out," Luke explained.

"And now she doesn't want to talk to you?" Ben said, frowning. "That's ridiculous!"

He continued walking, and Luke ran to catch up. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to her."

"Don't!" Luke protested. "She'll probably hit me."

"Just because she doesn't like your father is no reason not to talk to you," Ben said, not slowing down.

"Many people would argue with that," Luke said, wondering when his friend had become so reckless. Normally it was Ben trying to talk him out of doing something stupid, not the other way around.

They had reached the same level as the crowd at this point, and Ben stopped and turned to him.

"When I was in that cell, I realized something. You can't let petty arguments stop you from talking to someone, because ... because you never know when you might not see them again. You know what she told me at the ball? She said she felt like she'd known you all her life. She really likes you, Luke."

"Not anymore!"

But Ben had already moved on. The stormtroopers let them past, seeming more concerned with keeping the media droids away, than stopping two teenagers who wanted to talk to their friend.

Leia's expression was surprised for a single moment, and then she frowned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Luke stayed back, scared to come any closer.

"We saw you down here, and thought we'd say hello," Ben said. "What's going on?"

"A public execution," Leia explained. There was a shake in her normally strong voice. "I was supposed to give an interview with several news channels, but as you can see, the stormtroopers won't allow it. Frontline censorship."

"Did you say a public _execution_?" Luke said, forgetting his fear. He glanced at Ben, seeing an expression of horror on his friend's face. He was obviously thinking the same thing.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said, looking away. "Leave me alone."

"He can't help who his father is," Ben said. "Just because you don't like his father, is no reason not to speak to Luke!"

"It's not just that," she said. "He lied to me. You both did. I said things that I would never have said ... had I known."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, taking a step closer. "Please forgive me. I only did what I did because I was scared that you'd react like this." Luke stared at the cold permacrete ground. "I wanted to be friends," he added, quietly.

"Luke, we _can't_ be friends. It's just not possible. I'm a senator trying to bring some sanity to this tyrannical regime, and your father wants me dead! You ... you're a conflict of interest. However I might feel about you personally."

"Then you don't hate me?!" Luke said, looking up. He felt like a great load had been lifted.

A smile almost formed on her lips.

"I know it's not easy, but I promise you, I'll never put any of your work at risk. I want to help you make the galaxy a better place," Luke said, passionately.

"You really mean that?" she said, staring at him curiously.

"Of course I mean it! You believed me when I said so before. I haven't changed since "

"But your father—"

"Do _you_ always agree with your father?"

She looked away for a moment, and then suddenly met his gaze. "You're right. I'm sorry, I've been treating you unfairly. It was just ... such a shock. How does someone like him have a son like—"

She broke off at the sound of marching. A squad of stormtroopers began to push the crowds back from the security shield, moving them to the edges of the square. Luke stepped back as a trooper turned to them, brandishing a blaster.

"Who are they going to execute?" Ben asked, desperately trying to see over the troopers.

"Ben's father is in that prison," Luke explained to Leia. "We came here today to try and visit him, but they wouldn't let us through."

"That's awful," Leia said, staring at Ben in surprise. "I'm so sorry. You said he was a royal guard?"

"He was," Ben said. "He was arrested last week."

"They're executing Rebels today," Leia explained. "Well ... people they're calling Rebels at least. One is a former Alderaanian journalist." Her voice had begun to shake again. "I have been fighting for her release for a year now, but they have turned down all our appeals."

Luke wondered how Leia could stand to be here today. The thought of watching people be systematically executed was making him feel panicky and sick. He wanted to get out of here, but there were troopers everywhere, guarding every entrance and exit to the square. More of them appeared every minute.

"This isn't right," Luke said desperately. A group of five troopers were standing alone in the center of the square, all carrying high-powered blasters. They must be moments away from bringing out the prisoners.

"Luke, what if they're going to kill my father?!" Ben said, sounding worse than Luke felt. He suddenly tried to push forward, but a trooper in front reached out to prevent him getting closer.

"Let's get out of here," Luke said. Their space had been compressed until they were pushed elbow to elbow with each other. Troopers stood in a circle in front of them, preventing anyone from getting closer. Between their shoulders, Luke could see a cluster of stormtroopers marching out from the prison. In their midst, a small group of bound and blindfolded prisoners was just visible.

"Ben, I can't watch," Luke said, struggling to turn around. They'd been pushed back against a giant statue of the Emperor, and troopers prevented a quick escape from either side. It felt like a nightmare.

But his friend didn't hear him. He was desperately pushing against the troopers, trying to see the prisoners around their bulky armor. Finally, one trooper tired of the disturbance, and shoved Ben hard against the base of the statue.

"Stay back!"

"Leave him alone!" Luke said, angrily. Now he had a clear view of the center of the square, he could see none of the prisoners were Ben's father. "Ben, your father's not there! Let's leave, please!"

But Ben seemed unbalanced. Leia quickly tried to hold him back, but she was too slow. He rammed the trooper who had pushed him, desperately trying to get past. "Dad!"

"Ben!"

There was a brief scuffle, and then the blinding flash of a blaster filled the air. Ben slowly sunk to the ground.

Leia screamed and rushed to catch him, but Luke could only stare dumbly, paralysed with shock. The trooper's smoking blaster was still pointed at Ben.

"NO!"

A lightsaber was in his hands, but Luke didn't remember grabbing it. It felt like someone else was in his body, and he was just a hapless bystander. The blade glowed into being in front of him, and then he swung his arms back, just like he'd done a thousand times in training.

The loud hum of the blade colliding with an object filled his ears, louder than the sound of his beating heart. Then the stormtrooper's body fell backwards, slamming into the ground, and Luke was staring at the smoking hole in his chest. He'd killed him. His first kill.

Luke glanced back at Ben. His friend was staring in surprise at the glowing blue blade of the lightsaber. Leia was too busy binding up Ben's arm, just above the elbow.

In a moment, there was a chorus of clicks and clattering, and dozens of blasters were pointed at Luke's head. He didn't think. He reacted. The Force was flowing through him, responding to his need. In a few seconds, he'd reduced most of the blasters to melted metal, and tossed the rest of them out of the troopers' reach.

Then he was running for the center of the square, stopping only to deflect blaster bolts flying his way. The crowds erupted into chaos, as half of them cheered him on, and the other half were yelling for his death.

He stretched out a hand in front of him, and used the Force to release a prisoner from her binders. In a moment, she was ripping off her blindfold and staring at him in surprise.

"Are you a Jedi?!" she asked, staring at his lightsaber.

"Run!" Luke yelled, spinning around to fight off the ten stormtroopers who were shooting at him. Fortunately, they were poor shots. He back-flipped over their heads, and defended himself the best he could.

But soon the troopers started falling down, shot by rioting members of the crowd. The lead trooper began yelling into his comlink for backup. It gave Luke the opportunity he needed, and he ran down the row of remaining prisoners, slicing off their binders with his lightsaber.

Once the last one had disappeared into the crowd, Luke set his sights on the ominous black building in front of him.

* * *

Stalling his visit to the detention center had been a good way to spend the morning, but Vader was fast running out of legitimate tasks. Attending a presentation on the progress of the pacification program in the outer rim Jar Talin region had been a stretch. Now he was going over the recent Death Star progress reports for the second time, something he could easily do on the journey to said battle station.

It was a relief when an officer came rushing up, almost bursting with news. Hopefully this would be something he could attend to without raising suspicion.

"Sir! My lord ... we're receiving reports of a riot outside the detention center. The troops say a Jedi is on the loose."

"A Jedi," Vader repeated, with disbelief.

The officer switched on a nearby monitor. It lit up with a HoloNet news station, currently showing an overhead view of the area. It was a mess of blaster shots, bodies and burning wreckage. Stormtroopers were pouring in from every direction.

Vader instantly began to walk towards the exit, pulling out his comlink on the way. Before he'd reached the door, it was attempting to make contact with Luke's frequency. It beeped tonelessly all the way from IMH to the palace security checkpoint. Luke wasn't answering. He paused for a moment and stretched out with the Force. If his son was in danger, it should have alerted him by now.

His quick check was met with silence. Luke was either blocking him or too busy to acknowledge his call. Either way, this was not looking good.

The comlink stopped beeping, and clicked onto Luke's message service. He switched it off and set it to a different frequency. An assistant answered within one beep.

"Find out where Luke is and report back," Vader said, not bothering with greetings.

"At once, sir."

Vader cut the call. Immediately, his comlink started beeping. Hopefully it was his son.

When he answered it, one of the Emperor's aides appeared.

"Lord Vader, the Emperor requests your immediate presence."

* * *

Breaking into the prison was far easier than Luke had expected. It was amazing what a lightsaber could do. As he went down the rows of cells, searching for Ben's father, the prisoners turned on the guards, keeping them occupied and leaving Luke free to keep searching.

When he finally found Captain Jarnet, he didn't recognize him at first. He was in a prison uniform and his beard was shaved. But he had no such trouble recognizing his unexpected visitor.

"Luke!" He jumped up, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "What in the spinning galaxy is going on?!"

"I'm here to rescue you," Luke said, stepping away from the cell door.

"Rescue me? Are you out of your _mind_?!"

Luke spun around, lifting his lightsaber to deflect an incoming blaster bolt.

"I don't have time to explain!" he yelled. "Come on!"

Ben's father didn't argue. Luke ran ahead of him until they reached the end of the cell bay, and then Luke hacked a hole in the wall. In the process, he cut an electrical main, and the corridor fell into darkness. They climbed through the hole, leaving a mess of blaster fire and screaming behind them.

When he emerged from the hole into another corridor, he found the troopers were all facing the wrong way, obviously expecting any potential escapees to come from the other side. Luke ran past them, sensing Ben's father was right behind him. There was a landing pad up ahead.

Luke raised a hand, palm out, and the troopers guarding the pad tumbled over the edge. When he ran into the open air, he skidded to an abrupt halt. The landing pad was at least twenty meters above the ground. He could survive the jump, but Captain Jarnet couldn't.

He turned around when the Force alerted him to more danger, and he found troopers were running after them. They were cornered.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, raising his lightsaber. He was tiring and his Force energy was drained. He couldn't hold them off forever.

"Look!" Ben's father pointed upwards. A red and white convertible speeder was descending from the skies. When the pilot came into view, Luke whooped with joy. It was Leia's father.

"He's a friend! Go!" Luke tried one last Force push, hoping to at least slow down the troopers. His desperate gesture worked. One of the troopers fell, and two others tripped over his body. Luke launched himself into the speeder, and Leia's father took off at full throttle.

"Stars, that was close!" Luke said, shutting off his lightsaber. "Thank the Force you showed up! Let's go pick up Leia and Ben ... I last saw them at the base of the Emperor statue."

"I'm on my way," Bail said. "But would you mind telling me what in the spinning galaxy is going on?"

"My words exactly," Ben's father said, panting heavily in the back seat.

"Who's this?"

"He's my friend's father," Luke explained. "They were going to execute him! I had to rescue him."

"Some rescue," Bail said, dodging a blaster bolt fired from below. He found a place to land the speeder, and Luke immediately jumped out, ignoring the shouts of "Wait!"

In a moment, he honed in on his friends' Force signatures, and found them sheltering behind the statue. Leia was picking off any troopers who came near them with a high-powered blaster, while Ben was cradling his arm, which had been bound in a makeshift sling.

"Come on, let's go!" he said, helping Ben to stand. "Leia—your father is here and he has a speeder."

"Ben!"

Luke turned, and found Ben's father had come after him.

"DAD!"

In a moment, father and son were hugging each other like they were bound together with durasteel bolts. Luke was happy for them, but he knew the longer they stood here, the greater the chance they were never going to make it out alive.

Finally, they loosened their grip slightly, and Luke pushed them in the direction of the waiting speeder. He was the last to climb in, using his lightsaber to cover their escape.

As soon as they were airborne, Leia leaned over and hugged Luke.

"You were incredible," she said.

The gesture brought Luke back to reality for a moment. He stared blankly as Leia's father dodged numerous sky-patrol ships, and rushed towards the Alderaan embassy.

"Leia, we need to get away from Coruscant at once," her father said. "They'll say we planned all this, as your opposition to the execution has been well known."

"They can say what they like," Leia said.

"Leia, I'm serious. Your life will be in danger."

His parental tone triggered a horrible realization in Luke's mind. What was his father going to say when he found out about this?

* * *

Luke flipped over the heads of a row of stormtroopers, and then brandished his lightsaber. He deflected an incoming shot into a nearby trooper, causing the soldier to tumble to the ground. Even through the hologram image, Vader could see the Force was guiding his every move. He would have been proud if he wasn't on the verge of panic. Luke was in danger, and instead of rushing to his aid, he was standing here trying to pacify the Emperor.

"Tell me, Lord Vader," his master said, after they'd watched the same footage from a different angle. "Have you trained me a Sith, or have you trained me a Jedi?"

"Master, I am sure Luke has been unfairly caught up in this riot," Vader said. "The troopers have not recognized him. He is only trying to defend himself."

The Emperor pressed a button on his desk, and the image changed to Luke slicing the binders off a Rebel prisoner.

Vader decided it was wiser not to continue with that line of defense.

"You will find him," the Emperor said, in a quiet, dangerous voice. "Bring him here, at once. Your wayward offspring must be taught a lesson."

Vader did not waste time arguing with the threat. Luke needed him.

* * *

Luke stared dumbly at the HoloNet monitors in the Alderaan embassy. Every single channel had pictures of him. Some were making wild claims that he was a Jedi ghost come back to terrorize the galaxy, while others had correctly identified him as Lord Vader's son, and were insisting he had only been helping the troopers control the riot.

Leia's father patted his shoulder.

"We're ready to leave now, Luke. We'll take your friend and his father to Alderaan. They'll be safe there."

He was silent for a moment, and then added, "Are you coming with us?"

"Coming with you?" Luke looked up in surprise. "Of course not! I've got to get home ... my father ..." He buried his face in his hands. "My father is going to kill me."

"I doubt that. But you are in very great danger. The Emperor will turn you to the Dark Side if you stay."

"You know about the Dark Side?" Luke asked, curious.

"Oh, yes. I knew your father before the Emperor converted him." Bail placed both hands on Luke's shoulders, and turned him so they were facing each other. "It was _horrifying._ To see one who was once a hero become a servant to that vile, twisted monster. He turned on everyone he loved. It broke your mother's heart."

Luke remembered his dream. His father's lifeless body, dead at the hands of his son.

"I won't let that happen to me."

"Then come with us, Luke."

"I can't! I can't put you in that kind of danger ... my father knows I'm friends with Leia. It will be the first place he'll look."

"Your mother's family?" Bail suggested.

"That will be the second place he'll look."

"How about Han?" Ben called.

Luke looked towards the door and saw his friend had been listening to the conversation.

"He said he'd help you if you ever needed it."

"You're right," Luke said, pulling out his comlink. This was a longshot, but he was fast running out of options.

* * *

The detention center resembled a battlefield. Stormtroopers were stacking up the bodies of their fallen comrades in the surrounding corridors, while droids worked to restore the broken locks. Vader paused on his way into the main control area, noting half a door had been melted away with a lightsaber.

An officer stood in a cell bay, directing droids carrying repair equipment. His eyes grew wide at the sight of Vader, and he started moving backwards.

"Where did he go?" Vader demanded.

"Who, sir?"

"The person responsible for this."

The officer pointed vaguely down the cell bay. In the far end, Vader could see a hole had been carved in the wall.

"Have all the prisoners been accounted for?" he enquired.

"All but one, sir," the officer said.

Vader didn't bother to ask which one.

* * *

Luke knew how dangerous it was for him to return to the palace. But he couldn't stand to leave without saying goodbye to Artoo, Threepio and Lev. He'd also prepared a message for his father, explaining everything. More than anything, he wanted to say goodbye to him, but he knew that wasn't possible. His father would never let him go.

His droids were at his side as soon as he stepped out of the speeder.

"Master Luke!"

Artoo whistled and screeched.

"Artoo had heard you were in trouble on the HoloNet. We've been so worried!"

"I'm fine, Threepio," Luke said, resting a hand on Artoo's dome. "I've come to say goodbye. I have to leave. I'm sorry."

Artoo beeped in surprise.

Luke didn't stay to explain. He ran for the elevator, knowing he only had a few minutes to collect some belongings. His bedroom was still the way he'd left it this morning, with pajamas strewn across the bed and datapads stacked on the desk. He filled a bag with everything he could, and then placed the message for his father on the bed.

During the elevator ride back to the hangar bay, his comlink started beeping. Luke was half-hoping it would be his father, but instead an impatient voice, with Wookiee roars in the background, filled the air.

"Kid, we're at the landing pad. Where are you?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Luke said. "Hang on."

He stopped short when he entered the hangar bay. His speeder and droids were surrounded by three stormtroopers. The sight of their stark black and white faces made him remember the first stormtrooper he'd killed.

He approached them silently, and then opened his mouth to tell them to move aside. But someone else spoke first.

"Luke!"

Luke turned around, and found Lev was there. He immediately waved the troopers away.

"Go back to your posts."

"Thank you," Luke said, sighing with relief.

"Where in space have you been?" Lev said, coming closer. "There are reports on every news station about your involvement with a riot ... what happened?!"

"I have to leave," Luke said, looking aside. "I'm only here to say goodbye."

Lev nodded. "I had a feeling it might come to this. I didn't think it would be this soon, but … it's all right. Commander Julius knows you're here and everyone in the security office will make sure you aren't stopped."

"Do you know where my father is?" Luke asked.

"He's out looking for you. I think you need to go quickly."

"I'm going to miss him," Luke said, struggling not to break down into tears. "But this is the best thing ... for both of us. For the galaxy."

"I'll miss you," Lev said. "You changed everything when you entered your father's life. Please—wherever you go, let me know you're safe."

Luke hugged Lev, unable to say anything else.

When he turned around to share last goodbyes with his droids, he found they had gone. A quick check of the speeder revealed the back seat was now occupied.

"Master Luke, Artoo and I both agree," Threepio said. "It would be irresponsible of you not to take us."

"I can't!" Luke protested. "This is dangerous!"

"Master Luke, I'm afraid Artoo and I will have to insist! Artoo says he will self-destruct in protest if you leave us behind."

Artoo began to smoke as if to demonstrate he wasn't bluffing.

Luke grinned, and shook his head. His droids were nothing if not loyal.

* * *

Only security guards remained at the Alderaan embassy. Vader choked two of them to death before one finally began to talk. His son had been here earlier, but had since departed. And not on any ship owned by the Alderaan government, either.

The landing pad guard was only too happy to tell him he'd seen his son heading back towards the palace. Although it seemed he was chasing around in circles, it was a small relief to know his son had returned home. Perhaps he would find him safe in his room.

* * *

As soon as Luke landed at the agreed upon coordinates, the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_ lowered. Han's silhouette appeared at the top of the boarding ramp, outlined in the light from the ship's interior.

As Luke started to run forward, Han called out in annoyance.

"Hey! No droids!"

"You should have told me that earlier," Luke said, looking back to make sure Artoo and Threepio were right behind him. "They're my friends! I can't leave them behind now."

Chewie roared impatiently, somewhere within, and Han gave in.

"If you must, but we're selling them at the first port."

"Sell us? Oh no, Master Luke!"

"Don't worry, Threepio," Luke said. "I won't let anyone sell you. Come on."

As soon as they were on board, the ramp closed and Luke felt the ship taking off. It was too late to turn back now. He was really leaving ... leaving everything he'd known for the past five years behind. Leaving his father behind ...

Luke left his droids and belongings in the passenger lounge, and followed Han into the cockpit. He blinked back tears as he realized they were already in the upper atmosphere, racing towards the distant stars.

"I never knew you were so important, kid," Han said, pointing him to a passenger seat.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, nervously. Had they been listening to the HoloNet? Had they found out who his father was?

"The planet has been blockaded."

"But that means we'll never get past!" Luke said, feeling his heart sink.

Chewie wuffed with laughter, and Han looked back over his shoulder, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Kid, I eat Imperial blockades for breakfast. This is nothing. Now strap yourself in, and quit your worrying."

The ship rocked as a laser blast hit them from behind.

"Or maybe you should go man the gun turret," Han said, pointing towards the ceiling.

Luke quickly obliged.

* * *

When Vader reached Luke's bedroom, he looked around in confusion. The desk and bedside table had been completely cleared. Drawers were half open, now empty of clothes. All that remained was his model T-16, lying on the unmade bed. Vader moved closer, and saw the toy ship was resting beside a datapad.

He picked it up, and it immediately lit up with a blue image of Luke. His holographic son had a desperate, pleading look in his eyes.

" _Father_ ..."

"What have you done, Luke? Where are you?"

It was pointless to shout. His son could not hear him. But his frustration needed an outlet.

" _I'm sorry ... I had to leave. I cannot risk my dream coming true."_

A dream? This was all about a dream? How stupid could his son be, to make a life-changing decision based only on a dream!

_"Don't worry about me. I'm safe with friends."_

"Luke, no!"

_"I love you ... look after the_ Dunesea _for me. And my model T-16. I hope we can be reunited soon."_

The holographic Luke disappeared. Vader walked slowly to the window, and stared up at the stars. He searched the Force desperately for any sign of his son, clinging to the hope that perhaps he hadn't left yet. Perhaps there was still time to catch him, before he made a decision that would undoubtedly mean the end for them both.

He was rewarded with a faint sense of his son, as if he was far away. But then it was gone, taken away into hyperspace. Ripped away from him, by people unknown.

Then, there was only silence across their bond.

* * *

_Continued in Force Bond 4: Jedi_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  **Fanart**  
>  Check out this amazing fanart:
> 
> Ken Kenzie Zie:  
> <https://ken-kenzie-zie.tumblr.com/post/189541761697/heremydear77-a-crappy-drawing-i-did-of-luke-and>
> 
> Klayper:  
> <https://www.deviantart.com/klayper/art/flying-together-198949276>


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